Destroyer
by xXMoonShadow16Xx
Summary: This small, magically-challenged, ninja-infested, foreign world irks me to no end. No magic, barely any technology, no guns, nothing! At least the people are amazing, though.
1. Chapter 1

When will the fighting end? This stupid treacherous game that we are forced to play. My scars and yours are results of it. Proof that we have tried and tried again to escape it. But as you said it is an inescapable fate. Our demise is unavoidable. Why is that? That we, and just us, must carry the burden of death. Why not the other fourteen? It is just us two that must die… I refuse to let that happen. We will escape. I will make sure of it. We are the Head Knights. We must defend our kings and our teammates but why shall we die? Why do we have to be on opposing sides? Why must we fight to the death at the end? No answer…? Fine then. I will just stop this all then… Friend, I refuse to hurt you. Therefore I will escape to another world. You must not seek me out. Stay… I will always be with you as long as you can remember the times we've had together. Do not remorse. I'm doing it for the better. Farewell…

* * *

><p>I stared out of the window and gazed over the vast, open ocean. It made me sick to my stomach to know that I was completely surrounded by the one thing that I hated, water. It has been a month since I was banished away from my own world and forced to arrive on this one that seemed similar to that of my world's eastern cultures.<p>

The vessel that I traveled in was a cruise ship of some sort. Big enough to carry over a hundred people. The only reason why I boarded it was because I was being chased by some thieves and needed to think fast. (I didn't feel like wasting my energy on them.)

The group of people next to my table was dancing on my last nerve. They were very loud and acted as if they didn't have a care in the world. They laughed and joked around with each other, totally oblivious to my discomfort. They eventually sat at the long table across the room and left me to enjoy my pensive mood by myself.

I turned my attention back to the ocean, watching the reflection of the sun travel farther away as they day began to end. What was I doing here? What was I going to do now that I was banished? Maybe I could just live peacefully among the inhabitants. Pretend that everything never happened. Maybe settle down with someone…

Maybe I could become a Ninja like that boy from earlier suggested. That seemed like a good idea. I knew that living peacefully wasn't going to work for me. I don't have that kind of personality. I need adventure. Something new happening every day. Using my strength for something productive. Something other than crime.

The rumbling in my stomach decided that food should be my next option. I got up and made my way towards the buffet table. Grabbing my plate, I began to pick out what my meal was going to be. I suddenly decide that the steak was my best bet. I grab a pair of tongs and attempt to lift the beef, but was intercepted by another pair wielded by an even bigger pair of hands.

I looked up, mildly annoyed, at a boy. He was chubby (between the lines of big-boned and fat) with auburn-colored hair and swirly marks on both of his cheeks. He gazed at me with such an intensity that made me even more determined to get the piece of meat.

"That's the last steak…" he said.

"And? Your point is?" I asked.

His eyes narrowed at me. "I refuse to give the last piece up. It's mine…"

I was starting to get angry. "It's not yours unless I see your name branded on it, fatass!" I slapped his tongs out of his hands, sending them to the floor, and then snatched the steak up and placed it on my own plate. If he had asked nicely I would have given it to him. Instead, he decided to be rude. I will never let anyone talk to me like that and get away with it.

I returned to my table and left him standing there, mouth agape. A wave of laughter came from the table where his friends sat as he slowly chose some tuna and returned to his seat.

* * *

><p>The ocean is always more peaceful at night. Too bad I couldn't enjoy it. Cryptic messages that signal your demise tend to ruin everything.<p>

_You will die soon and it will mark the end and a beginning. Your demise will be an icy one, leaving you wishing to be burned alive rather than frozen to death. _These were the words that the fortune teller told me and to tell the truth, I actually believed her.

I noticed small figures on the horizon. Small, white blotches that dotted the view. Glaciers.

I'm going to die soon…

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, an uproar was going up among the residents of the ship. It seems that the ship was heading straight for a glacier. We were all doomed.<p>

Out of the corner of my eye I saw some children playing, totally oblivious to their imminent death. I can't let this happen.

Five more minutes pass and panic is everywhere. The children were gone and everyone was heading to the front of the boat in search of smaller emergency boats. It seems that they were stolen by someone earlier.

These people were in danger. I know what I must do.

I summoned all the Mana I had left in me, surrounding myself in some sort of dark energy. It raged around my body and lifted me into the air. No one was around to see me. That was an extremely good thing. I get to die in silence.

Lifting my hand in the air slowly, I begin to question my actions. Why am I doing this? Not that it matters anyway. I can't turn back now.

My arm falls and a monstrous cracking sound erupts. It was more like a deafening roar. A sharp pain filled my body and I was suddenly reminded that this amount of power was more than what my body could take.

The glacier disappeared underneath the water's surface and a cheer erupted from the crowd on the other side of the boat. They were saved but I, on the other hand, was at my limit.

I fell to the ground with a thud. My body went numb and a piercing chill went up and down my spine. Here comes the cold. This is the consequence of using the technique that I did. One that I was in the midst of developing. Incomplete, one might say. Another glacier appeared in front of the ship. I'm not done yet.

I rose to my knees and placed both of my hands on the metallic floor. Summoning all of the Mana I had left, I ordered it to surround the ship. The boat now was covered in a black haze. It then lifted the energy, taking the boat with it, and willed it to move. I continued like this for what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes. The boat moved so fast that the scenery around it blurred into a mass of black and gray.

_That's it… _I thought. I couldn't take anymore. The boat was now in a safe area. I dropped the boat into the water, sending water to splash up from all sides.

A sensation of a thousand needles covered me and I began to see stars. I fell to the ground once again. My consciousness slipped out of my grasp and visions of my friends flashed before my eyes. They're betrayal still stings me. It's like a weight covers me every time I think about it. Long, spiky, brown hair, blue eyes and a playful smile that suddenly twisted in an evil smirk. _Rex…_ Thinking about it left me feeling hollow. But it's not the fact that the people that I loved the most betrayed me. It's the fact that I am willing to forgive them. When I get home- no, if I get home, I will make amends and everything will be alright.

Then everything goes black...

* * *

><p>I wake up in a white room. The bed that I rested in was extremely soft. I was nearly lost in the covers. The window to my right was open allowing me to have a view of some sort of building adjacent to the hospital that I found myself in. It provided the room with clean, crisp air. I held my right hand in front of my face and observed the tattoo on my wrist. A blue rose. My mom's favorite color. I got it there so I would be reminded of all the mistakes that I'd made that led to her death. I have a blue one for her and will have a silver one for my brother if he ever leaves me. Hopefully that'll never happen.<p>

I have nowhere to go. Nothing to do with my life to make it seem easier. Eventually I will be driven to the point of suicide. I need action. Something to keep me occupied.

The door clicked and opened. A woman with blonde hair fashioned into two long pony-tails walked into the room holding a clipboard and being followed by two other nurses.

"I have to admit that you are one of the strongest people that I have met. Not only did you cut a twenty foot glacier in half, you moved an entire cruise ship that weighed several tons 169 miles from its original spot using only pure chakra and your will." She looked up from the clipboard and stared me in the eyes. Chakra must the name the people here give life energy. Where I come from, it is called Mana. No one knows where the name came from.

The woman took a chair and sat down on my left. She held up a hand and waved the two nurses away. They immediately left without a moment's hesitation. She must be a person in power.

"My name is Tsunade. I am the Hokage, the leader of this village, called the Hidden Leaf." I looked at her for brief moment then turned my attention to the window. "So lemme guess. You want to know where I came from and how I did it. You want answers." She smirked at my conclusion. "Right. You are smarter than I thought. So let's skip the formalities. You are in here because you over exerted yourself. Whatever you did, it was the limit of your power. If you try it again, you will most likely die." I looked at her with an irritated expression. She was right. Every word she spoke was true. But even so, I didn't like being told what my limits were.

"You have to tell me something about yourself. What business did you have on that cruise ship?" I honestly didn't know. I remembered stealing someone's money in order to pay for the fee. But there wasn't much meaning behind it. I just needed to be moving. In motion. "If I tell you… Will you make me a ninja?" The question took her by surprise. "Why do you say that?"

I then began to tell her about the conspiracy that was my country. That there was a prophecy that involved me having to fight my best friend. A battle to the death. The black knight will battle with the white… I didn't want to do. Neither of us did. We were on the brink of insanity. That's when the book came in. My uncle proposed that there was an alternative. He owned a book of such secrets. Filled with several loopholes in prophecies that I thought was impossible. But all that was ruined when another friend, eyes clouded with hatred and jealousy, destroyed the book, burning all of its secrets into ash.

I had no other choice, I had to run away. It made me feel like a coward but it was worse to kill my best friend. I would never hurt Zane.

So I sought an opportunity. A princess was travelling near our town. No, wait. The princess. Of our country. She was so pretty but extremely evil. It wasn't hard to do it. She was the one at fault for several evil deeds done in the government. She often got her way by seducing her father, the king. She was the reason why my older brother, who was a member of the Council, was suffering. She was the main reason why he would come home from work exhausted and depressed. I hated her for it. So she was the perfect victim. I killed her…

I was convicted of murder and brought before the Council. They sentenced me to banishment instead of execution because of my small frame and childish appearance. They took pity on me and thought that they were showing me mercy. Besides, everyone wanted the princess gone anyway.

Tsunade looked at me with an unfaltering expression. "So you see. That's why I did it. It seems cowardly but I couldn't do it." She sat back in her chair. "I don't think you are cowardly. You just put your friends above all else." I smiled at her. The first smile in months.

"The glacier is easy to explain." I said, changing the subject. "I simply just forced my Mana inside of it and as soon that it all had accumulated in the center, I forced it to expand, breaking the glacier in the process. The ship was also as simple. I used my Mana to surround and lift the ship. There is actually no other way to explain it." She laid back in the chair, staring up at the ceiling in a pensive state of thought.

"So you want to be a ninja, huh? You do understand that it is not as simple as it may seem. There are exams. Children start at a young age and learn the basics in an academy. It takes years of preparation to finally ascend to the level of a chunin." She now looked to me with a stern expression, forcing me to face an inevitable truth.

She studied my blank expression. "But seeing how you are perfectly able to pass all the tests with flying colors already, I will allow you to ascend to the chunin level without having to study with kids half your age. Only on one condition." I raised my head as if silently asking her "what?"

"You have to pass two tests. One that determines your strength and fighting style, another that determines your allegiance."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "In order to become a Leaf Village ninja, you have to understand what you fight for. The ninja of this village all fight for a common goal. For the safety of the village. To protect the place in which they were born and raised. You may not feel the same passion that they do for their village but I need to make sure that you are not in allegiance with an enemy."

"What will the tests be like?" She rose from her seat. "I believe that I will keep that a secret." And with that she left.

* * *

><p>I was out of the hospital a couple weeks after the talk with the Hokage. She had her assistant come in from time to time to come explain to me the basics of becoming a ninja. The village symbol. The Five Great Nations. What the armband stands for. The levels (if I pass this mystery test, I will become a chunin.)<p>

I was told to meet Shizune, the assistant, in front of a place in town called "Ichiraku Ramen". She would then introducing me to the person hosting my first test. _Lady Tsunade must think you are special, _she said. _She wouldn't be spending all of her time on this if she didn't. _

I looked in the mirror of the bathroom of my newly received apartment. (Courtesy of Shizune, with whom I have developed a friendship with. She seemed like a worrisome aunt who pestered her tomboyish niece. She always commented on how I needed to be more lady-like. She would then chuckle, causing me to join in.)

I inspected my face. Its roundness giving me a childish appearance. My small lips permanently twisted into a pout. My small, potato-shaped nose. The mirror was tall and it allowed me to view my whole body. I looked at my newly developing curves. They still weren't good enough. My breasts were extremely tiny. I was short and built like a child. I remember the guys in my neighborhood teasing me for it. They had a reason though. Being this underdeveloped at age sixteen was abnormal.

I wore a black tank top. Nothing special about it. Just plain and black. To go along with it I wore some baggy, blue jeans that nearly left me swimming in them if it weren't for the studded belt I wore to keep them up.

I stared at my tattoo once again on my wrist. A bright, blue beacon that was extremely noticeable on my dark, caramel-colored skin. The blue rose once again bringing up painful memories. It was exactly like her own that she had. Only hers were bigger and she had an extra one for my brother. The vines trailed up her arms.

I stared at my abnormally colored eyes that resembled her own. A fiery orange color that the people of my town admired. Then my wild, black hair. It was shoulder length and the tails that hung on the far edge of my wild bangs fell over my shoulders and onto my chest.

I usually don't pay attention to my looks but I am still a girl. It is natural for me to be this way from time to time.

But now is not the time to dwell on such things. I have a test in an hour.

* * *

><p>My kanji reading skills were being pushed to their limits. I was told that the ramen shop that I was looking for would have a large banner over it. I was told that it would be easy to spot. Wrong…<p>

I see a banner that says "Ichiraku Ramen" (at least I think it does.) In front of it I see Shizune and a raven haired man standing next to her. He wore a short sleeved grey shirt that was slightly revealing his chest. At his waist was a navy blue cloth that was being held up by a purple rope, tied in a knot. He also wore baggy pants underneath it and sandals to complete the outfit. His skin was pale and his eyes dark, cold and emotionless. He gives me an icy glare. Two can play at that game, bitch.

I approached the two. Never taking my eyes away from the man. I returned his glare with the same icy ferocity that he used. It took a few nudges from Shizune to snap me out of my trance.

"Hey! Xira? We have to get going." I turn my head in her direction, ignoring the guy. "This is Sasuke Uchiha. He is the one you will be sparring with." I looked at the guy. Sizing him up. He was muscular. Not body builder-like but not lithe. He wore a sword at his hip. "We can use weapons?" I asked her. Sasuke snorted. "Problem?" He was dancing on my last nerve. "One is not worthy of becoming a ninja if that isn't known." Shizune jumped into the conversation to stop any further threats. "Yes. You can use weapons of any type but remember that the reason of this test is to evaluate your abilities."

I shrugged off the huge bag that I carried on my shoulder. I unzipped it and pulled out two sword cases, each holding a sword in it. My two beloved swords. _Divina. _They shared the same name, seeing as they were twins. They were curved, such as the ones that the people of the desert used. They were close to being sickles. "Weapons are my specialty." I said with a grin on my face.

We now stood in a clearing in the forest that was in the outskirts of the town. Sasuke and I faced each other, standing ten feet apart. He drew his sword and I, my twins.

"Make this fast." He said. "I have to meet my friends at the hot springs." I glared at him. "Shut up, you over-confident prick. I'll mess you up!" I charged at him. Big mistake.

He was fast. He easily dodged my attack by just merely stepping out of the way and then brought his elbow back, striking me in the spine. I faltered a bit then righted myself. I turned on my heels to face him. Speed will not work this time and I'm pretty sure that I'll need more than brute strength. I will have to rely on my magic and  
>Mana.<p>

I held my swords over my head, crossing one over the other. "Nice tattoo." He said to me with a smirk. Ignoring him, I funneled my Energy into the blades, making them crackle with potent, Mana-based electricity. I then brought the blades down in a graceful circular movement. My brother was a talented swordsman. He was also very flexible. He also taught me how to gracefully move my body to make my movements more efficient.

Sasuke charged once more, moving swiftly and quietly. I used a quick backflip to avoid his blade. I raised the right and brought it down upon him, cutting the left sleeve of his shirt and leaving a cut running up to his shoulder.

He faltered and stepped back. He put a hand up to the wound and then held in front of his face, inspecting it. He looked at it with a questioning expression. Did he not expect to get hurt?

He raged with anger and charged at me, unleashing a series of attacks in my direction. I dodged them all with ease. After he finished, he threw the sword to the side. "I'm done going easy on you." He declared. He held his right hand out in front of him and held it up with the other. "Chidori!" He called and a mass of blue lightning arose from his palm. He advanced toward me. I have to think fast.

I summoned some Reversed Energy to my hand, a darker form of normal Energy. It pulsed in my hand to the rhythm of my own heartbeat. "Come at me!" I yelled and charged at him as he did towards me. At the point of impact, our hands collided and the forces of our powers combined, creating a massive explosion.

The smoke that surrounded us was a tremendous advantage for me. I could see Sasuke but he couldn't see me. I raised my hand in the air, trying to use the same technique that I did on the cruise ship. Hopefully the rule was the same for human beings.

Through the dense smoke, I saw a form float up in the air. A string of colorful curses came from that direction. It seemed that I had the upper hand. I will make sure that this guy will never underestimate me again. I used my environment to my advantage. I slammed the Uchiha's figure against a sturdy tree.

The smoke cleared and the defeated boy laid on the ground in front of me. He moved himself to a sitting position and looked at me with such a look that revealed the fact that I had damaged his pride severely. He glared at me. I grinned back.

"Well!" Shizune said. "I think that the results of this battle are quite obvious! Sasuke, didn't you say that you were going to the hot springs with the others?" He looked at her with wide eyes. "No! You are not going to do this!" She giggled. "Well, they're the Hokage's orders. Lady Tsunade insisted that if Xira won, she would get to go to the hot springs and meet more people from her age group." He growled. I stepped on his foot and he ceased immediately. "Don't ever growl at a woman, you disrespectful swine." I said. Someone ought to teach this guy some manners. He gave me another icy stare. "Congratulations! Xira, you are one step closer to becoming a ninja. Be ready by noon tomorrow. I'll come for you and take you to the location of your next test." I nodded my head. "Understood!" She turned and left, wishing us a fun time.

"So," I started after she was gone. "Lead the wa-" I was cut off when he abruptly grabbed me by the collar. "Listen you!" he hissed. "I will not allow you to show me up! I have worked too long and hard to be this strong just to have you take _it all away!_" He shook me on each of the last three words for emphasis. I thought that I should tease him just for fun.

"Help! Help! Somebody please! Rape!" I shouted at the top of my lungs while grinning. He looked around worriedly, letting go of my shirt. He then shot yet another one of his glares. This one was worse than the other ones. More venomous. He started off in a direction and I quickly followed. I jogged up to his side, power-walking to make my short legs keep up with his long strides. "So who will be at the hot springs? Who are we meeting?" I asked, acting as if I had not just beaten him up. "_My_ friends." He said. "Are you upset that I beat you?" I asked, my voice bordering indifference. "No. It is just the fact that a shrimp like you has so much power packed into that tiny body. "No hard feelings. I have nothing against you. I'm just trying to reach my goal. Your pride is so sensitive." I bluntly stated. He silently walked on, leading us onto a street. I ran ahead and stopped in front of him, holding my hand out for a handshake. "Let's start over. I am Xira Merid." He looked down at my hand and slapped it away. He then started to walk again. I shrugged and followed him. I was too nervous to be angry. I was going to meet some people my age. Normal people. They would probably reject me at the first sight of my tattoo. I should probably hide it. Wait, no… If they don't like it, they can deal with it.

* * *

><p>I was even more nervous than I was on the way here. I now knew that we would have to bathe in a public bath. Of course they would be separated by gender, but I was still nervous. Low self-esteem still ached at me.<p>

I followed Sasuke down the hallway. He has been ignoring me for the whole trip here. He finally stopped in front of a door and opened it. Laughter flowed from the room and he smiled, something that I couldn't believe. I stood far away from the doorway, unseen by the people in the room. "Are you coming ?" He asked. My confidence dwindled. "Nah. I think I'll pass. I don't want to intrude. I'll just go find another room to eat in." At that moment, a blonde haired guy poked his head into the hallway. "Hey! You must be the new girl!" He ran out and was in front of me in no time. "Lady Tsunade told us about you!" He was bursting with excitement. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" He grinned and did a "nice guy" pose. "You should come eat with us." I heard Sasuke give a disapproving snort. "Let her go. She doesn't want to be here anyway." And that was my limit…

I pushed Naruto out of the way and walked straight up to Sasuke. "You know what!" My breathing grew erratic from anger. My temper was getting the better of me. "If you have something against me, _say it!_" The last two words were more of a growl. "If you have a problem with me, go ahead! _Tell me!" _The growls were becoming more uncontrollable. "I have tried my best to be nice and forgive you for being an asshole but you refuse to stop! You should have accepted my mercy! People don't often get it from me! Well you know what? Fuck you! And fuck your overrated, spiky hair that you seem to care so much about! Yeah! I noticed you checking it every five seconds! You stupid prick!" I swiftly kneed him in the groin and turned away. I heard the thud on the ground and wished I could see it but was too infuriated to stay. I decided that I'd take my bath while everyone was eating so I could avoid the watchful eyes of potential gossips. I'd eventually meet everyone. Just not now. I couldn't be around that asshole.

* * *

><p>The baths were good for calming. My heart rate slowed and my blush of anger was being replaced by one caused by the heat and humidity. I remembered the first time my mother brought me to a hot spring. Her short, cropped hair and motherly smile. Her favorite color was blue. She always wore some article of clothing that was blue. I'm glad that she wore that color. It always calmed me down. I think that is why she always wore it. To calm me down in times of anger.<p>

"Oh, god." I said wiping my eyes. I was so deep in thought that I didn't even notice that tears started to fall.

Laughter erupted from the men's side of the hot springs. The other half that was separated from my own by a single wall. I heard the door to my right open and a group of girls step into the room. One had short, pink hair and sea-green eyes. Another had long blonde hair fashioned into a pony-tail and one with short, brown hair fashioned into buns. The last one had long, black hair with peculiar, pale eyes.

I retreated to the far corner of the spring. I wasn't in the mood for conversation. They spoke loudly. I quietly listened to their conversation.

"Sasuke is so cute when he's angry!" a voice said.

"Ino, you think Sasuke is cute regardless of what mood he is in." another voice said. It was kind of hard for me to tell them apart.

"You have to admit that he is! Especially today! Whoever he was talking to in the hallway must have really angered him. I haven't seen him pout like that in a while."

"Yeah! I think whoever it was kicked him where it hurts! Did you see his expression?"

"Who didn't see it?" a new, matter-of-fact toned voice said.

"I think it was the new girl. I saw her in the hospital at one point." A soft voice said. It sounded familiar.

"Yeah! How dare she hurt my Sasuke!" I've had enough. I stood and wrapped my towel around my body. I began to make my way towards the door. All talking ceased as I passed.

"And if I did do it?" I asked the blonde one. "What are you going to do? Fight me? Bitch, try me!" She looked at me in shock. Her mouth agape and eyes wide. "That's what I thought." I then walked inside.

"Chick ain't got nothin' on me." I murmured to myself, quoting one of my best friends.


	2. Chapter 2

In the drab-colored robes that I was given to wear, I wandered the halls. The sound of music filled my ears as I advanced forward. It was catchy. It had uplifting beat, like dance music. I neared the doorway where it was coming from. Peeking inside, I saw a smaller group of people surrounding a dance game. The game was similar to the ones that could be found in my town's arcades. It had a huge screen and under it, a square-shaped pad that was separated in to smaller squares. Some of the squares had arrows on them that pointed in different directions. I was the so-called master of this game back home. I always found it easy to dance. My small, skinny body made it easy.

The person playing the game wasn't as skilled, though. He was big. Chubby actually. He was somewhat familiar. He clumsily tapped the floor pads with his feet. When he eventually lost he turned around and handed out high-fives to his friends. He was the guy from earlier, the steak guy. He didn't notice me but I saw him. He and three more of his companions wore that same robe as I.

I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to apologize to him. I felt guilty for being so mean to him earlier on the cruise ship. I tend to snap at people who make me look like an idiot.

I strolled up next to him without him seeing me. He was laughing at the next guy on the dance machine. This guy was doing slightly better. He had short brunette hair and matching red tattoos under each of his eyes.

"He's doing well…" I said. The boy turned to me with a look of astonishment. "You're the girl from the ship. The steak girl!" I grinned at him. "Yeah. I am. Sorry about that. I didn't mean what I said back then. I just tend to snap like that when someone is mean to me first." He smiled at me. He was chubby. But in an adorable way. The smile only intensified the effect. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have started that. I should have just politely asked." He held his hand out for me to shake. "I'm Choji Akamichi!" I grabbed his hand and fervently shook it. "I'm Xira Merid." We beamed at each other and turned our attention back to the dancer. "Now, who is this?" I asked. "That's Kiba." He nodded in the direction of a large dog with beige-colored hair. "And that's his friend, Akamaru." The song ended and Kiba approached us along with two other guys who must have been watching him. One wore sunglasses that kept his eyes hidden. Another had frizzy hair that was pulled up into a high pony-tail.

"Who is this, Choji? The new girl we were told about?" Kiba said. Choji looked at me questionably. "Well? Are you?" I laughed. Trying to hold back my tendency to snort. "Yes! I am. I am Xira. Xira Merid. And you all are?"

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka." Said the boy with the dog.

"Shikamaru Nara." The boy with the spiky hair said.

The third guy kept silent until Kiba powerfully "patted" him on the back. "Shino Aburame."

I eyed the dance machine. "Can I try that?" I asked the boys. They all obliged.

We danced for a while after that. When we got tired, we sat down and talked about random things. (Kiba noticed my Libra tattoo that encircled my bellybutton. I shook him by the collar until he solemnly promised to not tell anyone else.) They often told me that I was the best girl to talk to. That they felt comfortable while talking to me. I assumed that it was because I was much of a tomboy. They had no reason to be afraid of me. They weren't trying to impress me and I wasn't trying to impress them. I eventually asked them about the Sasuke guy. I demanded to know what his problem was.

"Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked. "Hmm. It would be better if he told you himself. Or if Naruto told you…" I grumbled. "Why? Is it really that important?" They all simultaneously shook their heads. "Yes. Very important."

It was late at night now. About eleven thirty. Everyone was getting ready to go and head for their own homes, not that I cared anyway. I didn't really get to meet anyone. I just hung out in the arcade room with the four guys that I had met (plus Akamaru). It was fun enough without the other people.

I gathered my belongings and began to head home.

* * *

><p>The next day, I was summoned by Lady Tsunade. Shizune told me that it was probably a mission. I was confused by what that meant.<p>

I walked up to the grand building. It stood in front of a mountain structure. Five great faces were carved into the mountain. I noticed that Tsunade's was one of them.

I entered the building and walked the vast amount of stairs. Then, I located and entered the Hokage's office. There were six other people in the office not including Lady Tsunade herself and Shizune. All of which were standing in a straight line in front of her desk. I joined the other ninjas at the end of the line, standing next to the girl with abnormally pale eyes.

"Good." Tsunade said. "Now that you are all here, I can explain the mission. You will all go to Kusagakure to investigate the case. There have been several mass homicides in the area. You all will go there and check it out." Someone in the line spoke up. "Why haven't they sent their own ninja to take care of the problem?" It was Shikamaru. That was indeed a good question. It was nine o'clock in the morning. I was tired. Wait, what am I saying? I need to be focused.

Lady Tsunade spoke again. "They have tried several times. All the ninja they've sent were killed." The last word of that sentence hit me like a ton of bricks. Things just got serious. Interesting, too.

She finished the explanation and sent us to be on our way. Everyone else but me, that is. She stopped me just before I stepped outside the office.

"Xira." She said. "Do well on this mission, okay? This will be your second test." I nodded and uttered a single "yes, ma'am" before leaving. I will dominate this mission.

We travel for what seemed like hours. Running through the trees until we eventually reach the country. The other ninja talked amongst themselves as I remained in the back, away from all conversation. I was comfortable there. It was only until Choji noticed me when I began to speak.

"What do you think is happening? Who do you think is killing all of the people?" he asked. It was a half-hearted question. I imagined that he only asked just to have a chance to speak to me. I honestly prayed that he wasn't becoming somewhat attached to me. Attachment leads to complication. Like a stack of papers stapled to together. You attach them at first thinking that they would be easy to manage but eventually you get tired of flipping them back and forth in order to get to the next pa- stop it! This is stupid…

"I don't know. Maybe a psychopath or a person green with envy. Things like this happen so often where I come from. There are several answers to that question." I respond. "Where do you come from anyway? Do you come from Kumogakure? That would make sense." I shook my head. I had no idea what he was talking about. "No. I come from a place farther away than that. I actually can't tell you. It's a secret." A long silence followed after that. Neither of us spoke again until the others stopped in front of us. Shikamaru stopped the group and turned to face us. "This is where we will split up. Choji, you and Xira will look to the south of here for clues. Hinata and Shino will look to the west and Ino, Kiba and I will look to the north. Meet up back here by nightfall." And with that, everyone scattered.

* * *

><p>I tried to push the memories of my home planet, Ateria, out of my head. My friends. My brother and my mother. This new world should be helping me forget. I'm supposed to be finding a new life. I'm failing miserably.<p>

Choji stopped and pointed to something in front of us. "Look at that." He simply stated. I did what he said. What I saw was in fact the most outlandish thing that one could ever see in a desolate location like this. An extravagant castle ten times bigger than the main building in the village. It seemed familiar in an odd way. I racked my brain for possible explanations for it. "Has this always been here?" I asked. He shrugged. "I don't know. What do we do now? Inform the others?" I shook my head. "No. We check it out. I want to see what's inside now." I ran for the structure, ignoring Chui's shouts. This just got interesting.

"Xira! Xira, wait!" Choji shouted behind me. I stopped and turned toward him, allowing him to catch up with me. "What are you planning on doing now?" I started walking off in the other direction, observing the castle's interior. We had forced open the large, wooden doors and entered the foyer. It was a splendid room whose ceiling reached up as high as the sky itself. From the ceiling hung a beautiful chandelier, capable of killing someone from above if the ropes couldn't hold. There was a tall staircase that lead up to the next floor of the building. That was where I wanted to start my search. "Choji," I said. "You go investigate the lowers levels while I'll take the higher ones. Things will go by quickly if we split up." He simply nodded as I departed to climb up the stairs.

* * *

><p>The castle was made up of intricate patterns of labyrinths. Several hallways that were laced with countless doors. Doors that led to rooms whose contents were unknown to me. I tried the handles of most of them, all of which were locked. I was beginning to become frustrated until one door opened.<p>

The room was lined with several gigantic glass tubes. Within them was a strange green glowing liquid. I took a few steps to get a closer look at the hovering forms inside.

I was immediately disgusted…

Inside of the tubes were bodies- no, twisted masses of flesh hovering in the water. It all seemed like some kind of warped research lab. These must have been the test subjects. I put a hand up to one of the glass cylinders and uttered a silent prayer for whoever these poor people were. This was a horrible fate.

"Lovely, aren't they?" a voice from behind me said. Shit…

I swiftly turned to come face to face with a man. He had scraggly, short brown hair and had wrinkles around his mouth. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties. He wore a long, white lab coat. "Do you like them? They are my latest products." I didn't give him an answer. He sighed and frowned at my silence. "You are not very talkative. Not fun to play with at all. You must be a new leaf ninja. They are always so full of fire. It's fun to have a conversation with them before we battle." He looked at me in expectation of an answer. "I guess you are here to take me away, are you? Well, I should at least tell you my reason for doing this." I grinned a toothy one. "These people are scum. They don't deserve to live. They spend their lives in ignorance. They never pursuit the tru-" I drew my blade and attempted to slice him in half in the torso. I didn't have time for such nonsense. I wanted action. "I actually don't give a shit about why you did it. The only thing that matters is that you did. I'm going to have to kick your ass for it." The scientist dodged the blade and giggled like an over-energetic five year-old. "You are a tough one. I'll make you a special experiment. How about becoming a mermaid? You'll get a pretty fish tail! And I'll make sure that I'll enlarge your breast size too. You're tiny." I cringed at the remark. I didn't need to be reminded. He stood next to the door. "No," he said. "Honestly, with all seriousness, please advance! To the next rooms that is. There are experiments that you must see. After all. I study the human psyche. So if you do advance, you and your reactions will be observed also!" He then disappeared into the hallway. I attempted to follow him but when I reached the hallway, he was gone. Nowhere to be found.

I advanced, as the man from before advised. But I was extremely uncomfortable. These "experiments" were the most pathetic human beings I have ever come across. They screamed at me from their cells (further down the hallway was a whole row of them) and tried to reach me through the bars of their prison. I wished that I could let them out but if I were to do so it would most likely bring harm to the people of the neighboring villages. Their minds were so beyond repair that it would be impossible for them to ever function properly in society ever again. There was one woman, one with black hair that draped over her face and pale, ghost-like skin, who cried out for her lover. Another tore at her own arm with her teeth. "Please!" she said. "Let me taste you!" It unnerved me, but I refused to let this scare me. I have seen far worse. I just hoped that Choji was doing well.

Another "experiment" tried to grasp my hair and almost succeeded. This one was undernourished and had long, sandy-brown hair. "You're going to leave me again? Why? You always have to go? Mom!" He screamed after me as I sped up my pace. I was now in a full sprint…

I ran as fast as I could. I've seen enough and needed to find Choji soon. All of the cells merged into one huge grey mass that raced past me as I ran. This was too much, but I still could complete this mission. Just inform the rest of the team and then it wouldn't be so hard.

I heard a sharp barking from behind me. I turned my head and saw about five or so dogs chasing after me, baying so loudly that the sound drowned out all others. They were huge masses of black fur with glowing yellow eyes.

"This is madness!" I yelled as I spun on my heels. I readied myself to attack, but was cut short by a numbing sensation in my thigh. I looked down and saw that I had been shot. With a tranquilizer at that… I collapsed to the ground in a hopeless heap and the world around me went dark.

* * *

><p>I awoke in what seemed to be an infirmary. I was tied down to a bed with rope. Panicking, I struggled and fought against the ropes. I thrashed and cursed at them.<p>

"Lovely! You two are already awake! You ninja are truly exceptional!" My eyes met with the ones of the scientist from earlier. They then lowered to the ones of Choji who looked sad and helpless next to me. "What happened?" I asked him. "Tranquilizer…" he said. This man had planned this all out. We had to think of something quick. "What are going to do with us?" I asked him with such venom in my voice that it almost surprised me. "I was hoping that you would ask that. I am a scientist who works for the benefit of the ninja and their countries. In my spare time I study the human psyche but the other is truly my occupation." He sat at the end of my bed. I held back the urge to kick him. "I am looking for ways to improve the ninja. A way to make them even more powerful. That's when I discovered that such things could be accomplished with a simple element of the periodic table!" He rose and skipped over to a shelf that had several jars and vials. He picked up two that glowed a bright green color and sat down again. "These two rocks will change everything! Uranium! This one radioactive element has immense power. All there is to do is to put them into a body capable of holding it." Panic rose in my throat. He was going to use us as him personal guinea pigs. I thrashed about once again. Kicking, screaming… Even biting whenever he came close enough. I'm going to have to use_ that_ if this keeps up. Despite the warning Lady Tsunade gave me.

He decided to start with Choji which allowed me to summon up some Mana. I kept thrashing about. If I stopped, his suspicions would arise. He would know that I was planning something. I felt the energy run through my body, like my blood was suddenly pure electricity surging through my veins. What I aimed to do was similar to the iceberg from that time. Force my Mana into the rope that bound me and rip it apart.

Choji began to panic as the man came closer to him with a syringe. I had to hurry. I ripped the rope and jumped up from the bed, grabbing another syringe that was placed on a table next to me. I then aimed for the heel of the scientist's right foot and stabbed him there. He cried out in agony.

Choji and I fumbled with his bindings and were soon darting down the hallway. We had to find somewhere to collect our thoughts. We needed to calm down.

We rounded the next corner. "Choji, do you remember the way to the foyer?" I asked. "Yes. If we go straight from here, we should be there in no time." I wish it was that easy. Ahead of us was another person. And he seemed to be running straight towards us. It was too dark to see his face but somehow Choji identified him. "Sai!" he exclaimed. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

The boy approached us and stopped. His short, straight, black hair was matted with sweat and his pale skin was flushed red. Although his appearance told us that he had been running for a while, his eyes betrayed nothing. "What are you doing here?" Choji asked. "I was sent on a solo mission in this area. I was on my way back to the village but stopped short by a tranquilizer. When I woke up, I was tied to a hospital bed." The baying of dogs could be heard. "This is no time for formalities! We have to go now!" They both agreed but it was already too late. The dogs were already at the end of the hallway, but they were doing something strange. They weren't running but slowly crawling towards us, as if marking the entrance of something bigger. Behind them was a tall hulking form. A large mass of back fur that stood on two legs instead of four. It was like a hybrid between a wolf and a man. A werewolf…

The three of us braced ourselves for a fight. We had no choice but to stop running now. There were enemies closing in on us on both sides. The wolfman closed in on us. He seemed to be observing us, as we were observing him. "You…Three," He talked which much difficulty, as if it pained him to speak. "You are… From Konoha, aren't you?" he asked. "Yes, what of it?" I retorted. My first mission and I was already doomed to fail. "I would like to know if you have… Ever heard of someone by the name of Xira Merid." Shocker… Only I would run head-first in to these situations. "And what if I am this person? What business do you have with her?" I was growing uneasy. He snorted at me. "You are her, aren't you?... You evil bitch! You are her! I will kill you for what you did! You killed the love of my life!" Holy shit! Please don't tell me that this is who I think it is. "Who are you?" Sai asked. "I am… I am the king of a far off land, King Derdrex! And that girl… That evil little child killed my wife!" He lunged at us. The force of his blow would have killed us if we hadn't evaded it. The floor under us caved in under the force of his blow. We all fell to the floor beneath us. We were now in the foyer. I glared at Choji. Even if we did make it past the dogs, we would have been screwed. He gave me the wrong directions.

The man attacked us once again. He was enraged. "Go!" I said to the other two. "He wants me so you two should go inform the others. Choji opened his mouth to object but was cut off by a mighty roar. "GO!" I yelled and the two left through the large wooden doors that were knocked down from the force of the crash.

I was now alone…

I turned to Derdrex. He was removing himself from a pile of rubble. He glared at me. "You scum! I hate you!" I launched a kunai at his throat. "You are the one who sickens me…" I strolled up to him as he faltered and struggled to pull the kunai out of his neck. I could end this in a matter of moments; I just rather do this without an audience. "You are a sad excuse of a king. You leave your country in its time of need just to get your petty revenge. You knew that it would happen one day anyway! That bitch of a princess you loved had it coming! And yet you refuse to accept it. You imbecile! You are the lowest of the low…" I grabbed a rope that was used for suspending the chandelier. "You disgust me. And what makes it even worse is that you are going to be so easily killed by the fifteen year-old sister of the man you hate most." His head snapped up at me. "Yes, I am the younger sister of Yudaj Merid, you twit. How many people do you know that have the last name of 'Merid'?" I approached his sitting form, which was at head shorter than I am. Slowly, I wrapped the rope around his neck as I spoke to him. I wasn't worried about him lashing out at me. He was a dead man anyway. I spoke to him with poison in my tone. "Remember who I am. Xira Merid, the Destroyer. The girl who murdered the king of Sanria! And no one will ever hear your screams. Your two precious children will wonder why their father stupidly left the planet one day and never came back. They will always think that he just died a heroic death in the name of their country. No, never…" Pathetic whimpers sounded in his throat as he began to beg for mercy. "No! Please! Spare me! I will never bother you again! I'll promote your brother with a higher place in the council! Just leave me be!" I tightened the rope around his neck. "What was that? I can't here you! Speak up!" I pulled the rope with all the strength I could. Derdrex tried to speak again but the force of the rope hindered his ability to speak. His words came out as his pitched gurgles and whimpers. "No last words then? Well I'll just end this!" He screamed as I gave the rope a final tug, completely severing his head and sending blood splattering everywhere.

A gasp sounded at the head of the stairs. "My patient! What have you done? All my hard work, gone!" the scientist sprinted down the stairs. Coming to mourn his dead experiment.

I picked up a rock from the ground and weighed it in my hand. This would do…

I used my Mana to hurl the rock at the scientist. It hit. Dead center in his head. It rocketed though his skull and sent a crimson spray from the opposite side. He fell head-first down the stairs almost immediately after contact…

I directed my attention back to the wolfman. I imagined wearing a pelt from his fur over my head as I met back up with the others but decided against it. That would be too much.

I exited the mansion and used a tiny bit of Mana to set it ablaze. The castle was soon no more.

* * *

><p>The clearing that was to be the meeting place was filled with people. The ninja that I went to the hot springs with that day. They seemed to be freaking out over something. Especially Choji who I noticed was sweating from overexerting himself on the way here. The group quieted as they noticed me walking towards them. I even noticed that Sasuke stopped in mid-sentence when he saw me.<p>

"What?" I asked. I tried to expel the venom from my voice. Some of it was left over from the previous encounter. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward manner. "Geez, Xira. You shouldn't scare us like that. We thought that you were dead." I laughed. "I'm not. Try not to underestimate me next time." I turned my head towards the spiky haired blonde from the hot springs. "What's up with the reinforcements?" Naruto spoke. "We were sent as back up. Information reached the village that the culprit of the attacks was a researcher using uranium to create super ninjas. Lady Tsunade thought that we should come help you all out." He smiled at me. "We arrived just as those two were." He nodded in the direction of Choji and Sai. "They told us all about the scientist and the wolfman. We were about to come rescue you but you seem to have everything under control." I nodded. "Damn straight." Sasuke interrupted his friend. "What happened to the researcher? Is he still in the castle? We have orders to detain him." A weight that felt as heavy as a ton of bricks hit me. I had to make something up quick. "The wolf-thing killed him in a fit of rage. He said that it was revenge for turning him into a freak. I tried to save him but it was too late. Next thing I knew, the thing set the whole place on fire." Naruto put an arm around my shoulders. "Well, you're okay and that's all that matters! Ramen on me once we get to the village!" The pink-haired girl named Sakura announced that we would be better off at a normal restaurant and everyone celebrated my first mission's success. Everyone but Sasuke, that is. He remained at the back of the group as we travelled back to the village and stared at me with such intensity that it made me uncomfortable. I'll "politely" ask him what his problem was later. I was exhausted and trying to figure out what to do next. People were sure to be looking for me. I am sure to have a bounty on my head in a matter of days.

* * *

><p>Later that evening we were in a restaurant eating so much food that it seemed that it would never end. We sat a large table that surprisingly sat all of us. I sat between Choji and Hinata. Across from Naruto and adjacent to Sasuke and Sakura. Everyone was having a good time, except Sasuke…<p>

Choji began to fight with Kiba, who was sitting next to him, over a piece of meat. Sakura was flirting with Naruto and Ino was trying desperately to do the same with Sasuke, who was ignoring her. He instead was glaring at me. I pointed my chopsticks at Choji, who was still arguing with Kiba. "Hey, you!" I giggled. "Just give up and move on to the next item. Try eating something else." He glared at Kiba. "No! I refuse to give him the last piece! I refuse to ever give him the last piece. It's against my way of life!" Really now? I made a quick maneuver with my chopsticks and snatched the last piece of beef. I laughed as I stuck it in my mouth. The two just stared at me. "What now?" I sniggered. "Not fair…" Choji pouted.

* * *

><p>My house was a long distance away from the restaurant that we ate in. I lived in some apartments on the far side of town. So I was still walking as everyone else was most likely in their own homes.<p>

I heard footsteps behind me and noticed that I was being followed. I faced the person behind me. It was none other than the Uchiha himself. "Why are you following me? Do you have something to say?" He smirked. "I need a reason to go home?" He simply said. I sighed. This guy was impossible.

"Where do you live?" I asked. He began to walk beside me. "I live in the apartments on the far side of the village." I sighed once again. "Well, that's just fuckin' dandy…" He looked at me in a puzzled manner. "What's wrong with that?" I focused on the buildings and their lighted windows. "It appears that you are my neighbor." He chuckled. "That's perfect." He sarcastically said. "I have a few things to ask of you."

Bring it on…

"Is what you said really true? About the wolf-thing killing the researcher and then himself? Or was that all a lie to cover up your own little deeds?" I chuckled at him. "Wow, you catch up fast!" It was my turn to use the sarcasm. "Yes, I killed the thing. It was self-defense. As for the researcher, my mission was to find out what was going on and stop it. I did just that." He smirked at me. "You are a merciless killer. Where do you come from?" I looked at him. "What? You're not going to go snitch on me? I just confessed to you that I just murdered two people!" He shook his head. "I have better things to do. Now are you answering my question or not?" I grinned at him. "I can't tell you that. Honestly, I wish I could but I can't." We were getting closer to the apartments. He picked up a lock of my hair and turned it over between his fingers. I was startled by the sudden act. "Really? You can't tell me?" I swat his hand away. "No. And I would prefer it if you kept your hands to yourself." He picked up my hand right hand and examined it. "How do you do it?" I had no idea what he was talking about. I just stared at him and waited for him to speak again. "What was it called? Mana? How do you do it?" "How do you know about that?" "Choji…" I began to bite my thumbnail, my nervous habit. I will have to teach that Choji a lesson in secrecy…

We walked up the stairs to the apartments. "You should show me more of your power one day. I would like to know how a tiny girl like you could take down a 8 foot wolfman." He smiled at me. "Are you hitting on me?" I simply asked. "Maybe. It's not every day that I see something that I actually like…" I smirked at him. We were now at my door. I leaned on it, crossed my arms, and faced him. I surveyed his body. His chest, which was barley hidden by his open shirt, was well formed. It seemed like a marble statue. It beckoned for me to reach out and feel it. His face was beyond attractive and his eyes were captivating, like two pools of the blackest ocean water on a moonless night. He reached out to me and grabbed my ear, which was slightly pointed. "Meet me on the training grounds at 4…" "In the morning?" I asked. He nodded. "I don't think you would want everyone to see you train." He was right. It bothered me when people watched me fight. "We might be able to teach each other a few things." I agreed to the appointment and unlocked the door to my apartment. I uttered a simple goodbye to him and closed the door. I rushed to my room and threw myself down on my bed. What the hell? Why was he suddenly coming on to me like that? It was most likely a way to convince me to agree to train with him. I wished I could force the girlishness in me away. The girl in me who liked how he talked to me just now. Who became distracted by a guy's stare… My brother tried to train that out of me but that is what always remained.

I rose to take a shower. If I didn't do it now, it would be hell to do it in the morning when I was dead tired. I began to think about what to wear tomorrow. Something that would scare him away from me, I decided. I didn't need him falling for me. Maybe something that would expose my tattoos. A tank top would allow the roses on my arms to be seen and some shorts would do the same for the balance scale on the outside of my left thigh, just below my ass. I was proud of being a Libra… The only tattoo hidden would be the Libra sign encircling my bellybutton. The one that Kiba saw. Yeah, that would be perfect…

* * *

><p>I slept perfectly that night. I couldn't even remember what I dreamed about but it must've been a damn good dream. I examined my alarm clock. Three forty-six…<p>

I rose from my bed, got dressed, and left almost immediately (not without spending a couple of minutes in front of the mirror.) I was in the clearing just in time.

Sasuke was leaning on a nearby tree. His features hidden by the shadows produced by the moon at his back. I saw him crouch into a battle stance without so much as a hello. It didn't bother me though. We were here for business.

We sparred for hours. Until the sun rose and was high in the sky. We fought hard as if we were enemies, but I was always taught that training like that was the best kind. He was my match. Every time I used my Mana to surprise him from the ground, he would dodge it. When I tried using it to manipulate his mind, he used a peculiar technique using his eyes to fight it. We eventually took a break at noon. I sat under a tree and he followed. We sat in silence, panting and exhausted.

He grasped my arm and examined it. He traced the vines of the rose with his index finger. "You have a tattoo…" I rolled my eyes and said, "No-duh, genius. Yes, I have a tattoo." He continued to trace the vines. I was ticklish and struggling to keep myself from laughing. "What does it mean?" I peered at the blue rose. How many times was I forced to think about this? "It's for my mother. She passed away a long time ago. She had a rose just like this, only bigger. My brother was so pissed when I got it. He believes that my body should remain 'pure and unmarked'." I deepened my voice in an attempt to mock my brother. Sasuke took his eyes off of the rose and let them trail down to the scale. "You're a Libra?" He asked. I nodded. He rolled up the right sleeve of his shirt to reveal a tattoo. "I'm a Leo." "When's your birthday?" I asked. "July twenty-third… And you?" "October fourteenth."

He chuckled and rose to his feet, offering me a hand. I took it and he helped me up. "Your birthday is four days after Naruto's. You two so far are the only Libras I know." I grinned at him. "You know about the star signs?" He nodded. "I read a book about them and thought that they were interesting." I remembered something from my school days. We took a whole course on the zodiac. I remembered a compatibility chart I had to do. Leos are compatible with Libras… NO! Stop it! Force the inner girl away! I can't believe that I am thinking like this!

"Want something to eat?" He asked. I grinned and without saying anything, he perfectly understood.

We stopped by our houses, of course, to shower and change. I switched into my usual black tank-top and baggy jeans. I don't try to impress people. I do it without trying.

Sasuke changed into a similar version of his usual outfit, the only change being instead of the grayish shirt he wore a black yukata that exposed his chest. I was surprised that he didn't catch a cold.

"Where are we going?" I asked him. "To this new restaurant. It's a nightclub, too."


	3. Chapter 3

Some people can never truly be their selves. They may have to constantly act a certain way to meet everyone's expectations. Sasuke Uchiha was a victim of this. He always had to be the cool and collected guy. The heartthrob of the town… Everyone thought that he was cool because he barely showed any emotion most of the time. Around here, indifference is sexy…

But I've noticed that when he was around his older brother, he was happy. He was himself. The true Sasuke had a good heart and was caring. He was awkward when showing affection but truly meant every kind word he finally managed to say. He was a good person. You just had to dig deep to find it.

As I spent more time here in Konoha, I noticed that the Uchiha brothers, Sasuke and Itachi, were inseparable. No matter how much attention Sasuke would give to me, with the training and flirty comments he would send my way, I still couldn't hold a candle to Itachi. They loved each other and have forged a bond so deep that the toughest of trials couldn't break them apart. Something happened between those two and no one will tell me. I plan on finding out though. I really want to know. But I would have to find them first. They were becoming extremely hard to find. No one could tell me where they were either.

* * *

><p>I haven't been training with anyone lately so I've turned my sights to exploring the village. It's warmth and joy was contagious. It seemed that something festive was going on. People were setting up decorations and booths. Even the children were helping with the process.<p>

I saw Shizune carrying grocery bags being followed by her favorite pig friend. "Xira!" she greeted. "Are you preparing for the festival, too?" she asked. "Festival?" She gasped. "The Fall Festival! It marks the beginning of fall! Do you have anything to wear?" I raised an eyebrow. "I need something to wear?" she grabbed me by the wrist. "Yes! Come with me. I'll help you!"

I was dragged to what seemed to be a thousand clothing shops. I tried at least a thousand more kimonos. I was exhausted and yet we've still haven't found the "perfect kimono". She dragged me into the last shop available in town.

"How much longer will this take, Shizune? I honestly am tired of the clothes. I have never been the type to enjoy this sort of thing." I complained. She shushed me and pointed to the far wall of the store. "That is the perfect kimono…" She said with a twinkle in her eyes. My gaze followed her finger. On the wall was a beautiful cerulean kimono, one of my favorite colors. At the bottom of the kimono was a pattern of silver and black vines that trailed up the right side and ended at the middle of the torso. The kimono was beautiful. Different from what I was used to, but beautiful. "I want to try it on." I said. We asked a clerk to assist us and as soon as I received the dress, I ran to the dressing rooms and tried it on. Shizune gasped as she saw me step out of the room. "You are so pretty! Come to the mirror and look at it yourself!" I did so and was pleased with what I saw. The dress was just as beautiful as it was before. I just wish I had the form to fill it.

I paid for the dress and thanked Shizune for helping me find it. She smiled and waved as we parted ways. She was truly a good friend. She took time out of her busy schedule to help me, a hopeless tomboy, find a dress for the festival. She scores a hundred points for that.

I dropped the dress off at my apartment so I could change into it for the festival later. I should try to train on my own. It was only noon and the festival didn't start until nightfall.

I headed for the training grounds, hoping that no one would be there. I planned on trying a technique that I hadn't tried since my brother taught it to me. I required serious meditation.

I picked my spot under a tree (the same tree I usually sit under with Sasuke after training) and crossed my legs. I rested my wrists on my knees and closed my eyes. This technique required anger. It was the exact opposite of the signature move of my best friend, Zane, which required serenity. That's why I am the Destroyer and he, the Creator…

I thought about Rex. That moment when he destroyed the book that had all of our answers. I was seething in rage. But that rage wasn't pure enough. I was willing to forgive him. I had to move on to the next event. The time when Zane was beaten by those bullies at school. I was extremely pissed then. But that scar has healed. It was too long ago.

That's when I thought about my mother. The council had no reason to have her killed. She did no wrong. And what made it even worse…

_I'd rather be killed by someone I love… Don't worry, it won't hurt me at all…It's all for the best. Think of it as me preparing you for future tasks to come._

Ceres… Ceres Merid was her name. She wasn't my actual mother. She was my aunt who took us under her wing when she refused to leave us with our birth mother, who would have eventually killed us. She raised us by herself. She took care of us. And then, when the council came up with that death sentence… She made me kill her…

Something snapped within me and a tremendous power surged through my veins. My skin went darker, an indigo color that was the same as the blood that coursed through my body, with a dark aura emanating from it.

I stood up in my spot and prepared to try out my power. I lifted a hand and brought it down swiftly. A tree on the opposite end of the clearing fell over.

"Oh! That's a neat power!" My fiery orange eyes detected the person. A tall, hulking man with a strange appearance, his skin being blue and his hair an even deeper shade. He had things that resembled gills on his neck. He wore plain, black ninja attire and carried a large sword that was covered in bandages on his back.

"You should probably work on making the cuts you create cleaner, though." He pointed to the tree as my gaze shifted towards it. He was right. The edge of the tree was extremely uneven. "If you just did that, you could turn this ability into something better." I eyed the man. What the hell was he doing here? "Who are you?" I asked. He chuckled. "Kisame Hoshigaki." He held his hand out and I took it in a forceful embrace. "Xira Merid." He grinned at me. "I've heard about you and your power. It is quite interesting." Him too. This is getting exhausting. "From who? From fucking who!" I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and tried to seem intimidating. I failed miserably. "Calm down! Calm down! I heard it from Sasuke Uchiha. The guy that you have been training with for a while now. You two seem like the perfect couple." I let the man go. Sasuke, too? I'll just have to stop talking to people.

"We are not a couple. He just helps me train…" That was a lie. I honestly wanted to be more to the dark-haired ninja. It was something that I never dared to say aloud but it was true.

A buzzing noise erupted from my backpack that I brought. The mirror…

I rushed over to the bag and grabbed the mirror. Someone was trying to contact me. I held the mirror by its handle, which was embroidered by gems and jewels of various colors. It could be one of my friends trying to talk to me or it could be the authorities. Should I take this risk?

Kisame peeked over my shoulder. "A mirror, huh? What's it for?" I elbowed him in the chest and shushed him. I hesitantly pressed the topmost jewel and forced some Mana into it, activating the chat ability.

"Xira Merid…" A girl's voice could be heard. I peered closely at the screen. Blonde, short hair with bangs that came down over her shoulders and were then tied with ribbons. Her eyes were a deep violet color and her smile was twisted into a smirk. Her black horns protruded from her skull and curved backwards. Ilana Xenis… Huge bitch…

"To think that you'd go as low as to camouflage your horns, teeth and eyes…" She smirked. "Turn yourself in Xira Merid! If not, we will find you and execute you eventually. You will pay for what you did to our princess!" I flipped her off. "Just try me bitch! Just try to catch me! Go ahead! Bring your lover/brother with you, you disgusting, incestuous twat!" she chuckled at me. "I can't wait to kill you…" I was losing my patience fast. "What do you want, bitch! Spit it out so I can get back to my training!" Kisame spoke up behind me. "Ooooh! Feisty!" I elbowed him once again in the stomach and sent him to the ground with a thud. "What was that? A boyfriend I see? Wow, Xira. I underestimated you! He was good looking too. What was he? A Water Elemental? Merman?" "Fuck off!" I growled. I disconnected the signal and threw the mirror against the tree, though it wouldn't break no matter how hard I tried. I need to find a way to caller id the stupid thing.

"What was that all about?" Kisame said. Groaning as he righted himself into a sitting position. I spun on my heels and pointed a finger at him. "You!" I yelled. "Need to keep to yourself! Stay out of my business!" I was fuming. Various thoughts ran through my head. Did the council already know where I was? Were they close? No. They couldn't be. They wouldn't have given me heads up. They would have snuck up on me. I know the Council. They use everything to their advantage. Even secrecy…

I looked up at the sky. How long have I been training? It was nearly nightfall. Damn meditation. That was probably the culprit. Meditation always caused me to become lost in my thoughts.

I grabbed the bag and the mirror and took off in full sprint. "It was nice meeting you!" I heard Kisame say behind me. I flipped him off from behind and heard laughter from him.

I had to rush home and change quickly for the festival. Shizune promised me that she would show me around.

* * *

><p>I have never realized how many people actually lived in the village. It seemed so crowded. I could barely breathe. I was tremendously uncomfortable since I was never good with crowds anyway.<p>

"Come on slowpoke! Let's go grab some dango!" Shizune dragged me by the wrist and pulled me through the crowd, weaving gracefully between the bodies that were in the way. We approached a nearby booth and stood in line. This "dango" that she spoke of had better be damn good for all this trouble we were going through to get it.

After a few minutes, it was our turn to receive the snack. She got two orders from the vendor and passed one to me. I tried the snack, savoring the flavor in my mouth. It was actually pretty tasty…

"This is pretty good…" I said. I was silent for a few minutes as she chatted along. She admired the masks that were being sold and the various clothing that people wore. We eventually found a table to sit at while drinking some tea we ordered. Now we were going to do the thing that I loved to do. People watch.

I was never a particularly nice person. I often mocked people and their flaws. My philosophy stated that "If you don't like it, do something about it"… If I hurt someone's feelings by calling them fat, I would tell them to jog a few miles to lose weight. If I offend someone by saying that they're weak, they need to get stronger.

I saw a fat man that was surrounded by women. He seemed to be enjoying himself, laughing and chatting away. "Shizune," I sneered. She followed my gaze and chuckled. The man had a shining bald spot on his head but the he was still surrounded by women. "Well, look at that ladies' man!" I chuckled. She sealed her lips to keep from bursting into laughter. "He is certainly going to go home a happy man!" "Fatass!" I chortled. We exploded into laughter.

"What's so funny?" We both looked through our tears to see a certain overly-energetic ninja. Naruto was standing before us with a pale blue yukata on. Beside him stood his friends, Sakura, Sasuke, and Sai. I shooed them away with my hand. "Oh, nothing that you goody-goodies would be entertained by. We were just having some plain-old fun. That's all." Shizune and I tried to stifle our laughter as the three looked at us with baffled expressions. "Really now? You honestly think that we're goody-goodies?" Sai said with a transparent smile. "She didn't mean that. She was joking." I eyed Sasuke. Talkative bastard. Can't keep his mouth shut about things that he should keep to himself. "Sure whatever." My mood was dampened almost immediately after seeing his face. "Mind if we join you?" Sakura asked. "Sure! Why not?"

The four sat down at the table with us. Naruto and Sakura sat to the left of Shizune and Sasuke and Sai sat next to me. The other five talked about random things. Training, other ninjas, a lot of stuff that I couldn't keep up with. So I just sat quietly and acted as if I was listening. But there was one question that caught my attention in particular.

"So, Xira?" Naruto asked. "What is your goal in life?" I peered at him with a startled look. "Oh, come on! Everyone has a goal." I reflected for a moment. Goals? Did I have any? Of course I did. That one objective of my mother's that I made my own.

"Goals? I guess if I do have one, it would be to become a Valkyrie." He tilted his head. "Valkyrie? What's that?" I smiled. "Where I come from, a Valkyrie is a female warrior who represents the will to protect her world, home, family and friends. It is also the name of the rank that one receives when promoted from the Warrior stage. It is actually very similar to your ninja system. Valkyries and Knights are warriors that protect their country. But I actually don't give a damn about what happens to the country." The other five gave me startled glances. I continued. "The government is so corrupt that it doesn't even matter to me now. I just need the title so I will have the right to protect my family and move far away from it all. Only people with the Valkyrie or Knight status can move out of the country. I just need to keep training so I can receive my wings." Not actual wings but a seal of approval. Wings are extremely hard to acquire because you must pass a test that isn't given by an instructor. The test will be a great task that one would encounter on the road to becoming a Valkyrie, such as a great battle or a considerable act of heroism. No one knows why it works this way but it does.

That's when I noticed the glowing light underneath the table between Sasuke's and my own feet. I looked at it with wide eyes. I hastily looked at Sasuke's face to see if he had noticed. He did…

Sasuke and I stared at each other for what seemed like hours with baffled expressions on our faces. I eventually grabbed the light with my hands swiftly so that no one would notice and forcefully punched Sasuke in the side, forcing him to rise from his seat so that he could let me out. I then excused myself from the table and sprinted through the crowd, my hands locked together.

I arrived in the nearest alleyway where no one would notice me and opened my hands. A note. A single sheet of paper. It read:

_Ne, Xira! Look up!_

_~Zane~_

Zane, what the hell? Why the hell was he contacting me like this? Why do I need to look up? And why the adorable "ne!" in front of the sentence, as if we'd been passing notes in a boring class?

"Who's Zane?" I heard Sasuke say beside me. He must've followed me here.

I ignored his question and did what the note suggested. Sasuke did the same.

A bright orange light in the middle of the sky. A star? No, too close. A plane? No, they don't have those here. That's when it hit me. A meteor…

My eyes grew wide and my balance went awry. I had to grab on to Sasuke's arm to keep my balance. "What is it?" he asked. "What is that?" My gaze fell to the ground. What was I going to do? I could always just leave and let the meteor hit the planet… but, that would be wrong. It was here because of me in the first place. Or at least I think… If only I had a way to stop the meteor… Or… Move the planet!

I snatched my gaze away from the ground and broke into a full out sprint for the training grounds. Hopefully there wouldn't be anyone there to see what was going to unfold.

I was stopped in mid-stride by a hand catching my wrist. It was Sasuke and he held a look of such fury that it made even me cringe. "What the hell is happening, Xira…" It was a demanding question. I looked him in the eye with the same anger. There was not much time left. "Let me go, you arrogant prick!" I snatched my hand away from him and brought it across his face with a powerful slap. He stood there with his face turned away. Deathly still. "Don't ever put your hands on me ever again." I pointed towards the sky. "That, up there, is a meteor hurling straight for this planet. Do you want it to destroy the world and everyone on it?" I lowered my hand and grabbed him by the collar. "Do you!" He stared holes into my eyes with his own emotionless orbs for what seemed like an hour and then, without any notice or hesitation, kissed me forcefully on the lips. He grabbed my chin to restrain my efforts to pull away. After another moment of lip-locking, he released me.

"I really wish you hadn't done that…" I said. I wasn't angry at him this time. I was angry that this was happening. Isn't this what I wanted? To find a boyfriend? To lead a happy life and settle down? No… Not under these conditions. I was attached to someone now who was also attached to me and now I had to go…

He watched me with soft eyes. What happened to the cold ones from before? "Xira…" He started. "I'll ask you one more time… What does this mean? What are you going to do?" I let out a quivering sigh. Why was this affecting me so? "Look, Sasuke… I like you. A lot more than I had hoped. And… I see that you like me too… But it would be best if you tried to forget that you had ever met me… I'm about to do something stupid and if things get any further from here, it's gonna be more painful than it has to be." A single tear dropped down my cheek. Oh, god…Was I crying?

"Besides," I continued. "You wouldn't want a girlfriend like me anyway. I'm more different than you think. You may not be prepared to accept someone like me…" A pale-skinned hand reached up to play with a lock of my hair, just like the first night we actually met. "Bring it on…" Those three words sent me over the edge. Anymore and I would be bawling my eyes out. I grabbed his katana and brought it across my wrist. An indigo fluid seeped out of the cut, almost black. "Is this what you're ready to live with? Sasuke, I'm not even human!" I shook my arm at him. "I'm something called a Darkling. A cross between a human and a demon. Is this what you want? Mood swings? Frequent anger and bitchy attitudes all the time! Is this what you want?" I was losing my cool. I needed to go before this guy made me lose my guts. I turned and raced for the clearing as I was before. This time I was not stopped.

* * *

><p>What I was attempting to do was to pull the planet through a wormhole and send it to another galaxy, safe and sound. This would most likely kill me…<p>

I don't know how this idea popped into my head. I don't know why I was so willing to risk my life for such a planet. Maybe it was the kindness of the people on it. The friends I have made. The guy that I had a crush on. I have no idea.

But I had nothing else to live for… This would be for the best.

I stood in the center of the clearing and began the preparations. I had never seen a successful wormhole summoning take place. Only 65% of wormholes actually do what they are supposed to. Hopefully this one would be a part of that 65%.

I began to trace a pattern in the ground, with a lot of intricate patterns and shapes. It took about an hour to complete it. I wish it took a shorter amount of time. I could have done this before my audience caught up with me…

"Xira!" It was Shizune. Her pet pig was in her arms and seemed to be pleading with her. "Please! Can you at least tell us about what is about to happen?" I surveyed the crowd. Sasuke and some others. Teams 8 and 10. I almost cried when I saw Choji's pleading face.

I forced some Mana into my right hand and kneeled to place it on the center of the pattern. A pain poked at my spine and made my eyesight go blurry with the tint of my indigo blood. But yet I couldn't stop…

A massive energy pulsed at my feet and the ground caved in under me. I still remained above the surface due to some unseen object underneath my feet. My hair whipped wildly around my face and my fingernails grew longer and sharper. I felt my double-set of horns on my head grow back and my teeth grow sharper. My true form was reappearing. The camouflage technique was wearing off. Hopefully I would be dead so I wouldn't have to face everyone about my appearance. I had been lying to everyone for this whole time.

The sky above me went completely dark and the only light we had were the faint ones coming from the village. The townspeople would never notice unless they have been staring at the sky the whole time. If this was successful, the only major change to the planet as an entirety would be the extra two planets they would share its atmosphere with. Ateria and Lumena would be visible in the sky at night and day since they were so close. This would cause so many changes for the daily life of all three but it is better than being devastated altogether. If this world was to get in a disagreement with the others it could defend itself. The ninja here were just as strong as the military forces on the other two. The danger of me being caught by the council would increase tenfold also, but that didn't matter.

The starry skies returned back to normal. Two blue planets, one being a shade darker than the other, appeared above us, but otherwise, there were no other changes. Why was that so? It was true that I aimed to place the planet in a position that was similar to its previous one, but one would think that the stars would at least be in a different position. Maybe Ateria and Earth were two of the same planets, just from different galaxies.

The process was done and my body ached in every place possible. I closed the wormhole and fell face first on the ground. At least people would remember me. I had a new title now. Xira, the girl who moved a whole planet…

Shizune rushed over to me and shook my body. "Xira! Xira! Don't go to sleep! I need you to stay awake! Xira! Sakura, help!" Her voice grew fainter and fainter and eventually was gone. The world went black.

* * *

><p>"Xira? Xiiiraaa!" I awoke to the sensation of someone continuously slapping me in the face. The voice belonged to a friend of mine. This had to be a dream. Zane couldn't be here.<p>

"Do you think that you should be waking her up like that? She was near death when we brought her here. She needs a little more rest…" The voice belonged to Naruto. "That's nonsense! Darklings are strong! All she needed was a power nap, that's all!" My older brother Yudaj. His Japanese was butchered and barely understandable. I was the only person in my town that was capable of learning a new language fluently.

"Hn…" Sasuke. He was close, like, right next to my bed. "Listen, all of you! You guys need to get out now and let her get her rest! Hokage's orders!" Shizune… "But I'm her best friend!" Zane said. His Japanese was slightly better than Yudaj's. "And I'm her brother!" "I am not leaving her side…" Sasuke said. We had a lot to talk about… Shizune sighed. "I understand that you are worried about her but the best you can do right now is let her sleep." My eyes snapped open as I sprang up from my bed into a sitting position. I surveyed the room. Back in the Leaf's hospital. I saw my best friend, Zane, sitting on my left and Sasuke, resting his head on his interlocked hands, on my right. Yudaj sat on the window's ledge and Naruto leaned against the wall behind Sasuke. My hands flew up to my head. My horns were now visible for all to see. One set that was large and another that was slightly smaller behind those.

Zane was a beautiful, yet effeminate, boy with the purest of white hair. He wore it in such a fashion that it couldn't be duplicated by anyone else. On his right was a bang that came down close to his eye but on the left, it was pulled back over his ear. It all hung loose until it reached the small of his back. He had the most beautiful golden eyes and wore his favorite brown sweater. He always wore it despite the weather.

"Woah. What's up sleepy head?" Yudaj said. Yudaj, although my older brother, looked nothing like me. He was my half-brother and had a different father than I. His father was of demon descent like our mother so he was born a full blooded demon. His skin was pale, unlike my dark brown skin, and his eyes were a deep scarlet color like his hair, which was always up in a pony-tail. Wearing it any other way would dub him "unprofessional". He wore a pale blue button up shirt. He must've left a meeting to come visit me. The planets were so close now that it only took a couple of hours to travel here.

"How long have I been out?" I asked. Sasuke's expression lit up as he tried to lock me in his gaze. I evaded his stare. We can't discuss this now…

"A few weeks. I'd say two or three." Zane answered. Sasuke's eyes finally met my own and we exchanged glances for several moments. He then broke the gaze averted his eyes to the ground, which was totally out of character for him. Zane's expression lit up with glee while Yudaj's filled with worry. They noticed…

Yudaj turned to Naruto and Sasuke. "Would you two please excuse us for a while? We would like to catch up with Xira. We haven't seen her in a whole year and we are dying to know what she has been doing all this time." Naruto nodded and left the room with Shizune and Sasuke, who never gave me so much a side glance. I didn't need one though. He would be back. We could then discuss things.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Zane pounced. "Who was that? What's up between you two? Oh my gosh, this is exciting! Has Xira finally met her match?" He shook my bed to emphasize his excitement.

Yudaj cleared his throat to quiet the boy. He then spoke directly to me. "You know that this isn't going to work, right?" I twiddled my thumbs. I always did this when being scolded by my brother. "What do you mean?" I asked. "This… Thing that you have going on with that human boy! You know damn well what I am talking about!" Zane slumped back into his seat. Here we go…

"If Rex finds out about this, he is going to give you hell about it. I for one don't give a damn who you choose to be with but that guy is insane. He will make your life hell! Do you understand me?" A long silence hung over us. He sighed. I understood what he was trying to tell me. Rex was a friend of mine who eventually began to lust for me. He would no doubt be jealous of Sasuke. He would lose his mind.

"Xira. I am not telling you that you can't be with that guy. Nor am I telling you that you have to leave this world. But if you do, you have to realize that there are people who will try to prevent your happiness from happening. You have to be willing to fight for it… Rex wants to be with you. He will not allow you to even consider being with a lower race let alone a human…" The Darklings of Ateria are separated into several different races. Naga, werewolf, pureblood, mermaid, etc. I myself was of pureblood descent. Being a pureblood isn't as glamorous as people make it out to be. They have no outstanding abilities whatsoever.

"If he finds out about this, he will flip his shit." He stood up from his perch and neared the door. "I have convinced the council to give up on you. They have found that the princess was convicted of murder of her own mother so that kinda evens it all out. As for the king, he is exiled for leaving his kingdom. It doesn't matter if he is dead or not. Either way, you can come home if you want." How did he know about that?

He left the room and without another word. That was his way of saying that I could stay, but he would rather that I come home, even though he knew that it wouldn't happen.

Zane looked at me. "We miss you so much back home…" he said. Way to make a person feel like shit. "I know. But I have started something and I'm going to finish it. Besides, when I get my Valkyrie title, I am going to move everyone that I love off of that planet. We'll move here! Just thinking about it makes my heart lift. Away from that corrupt government and the unfairness. Here, there will be adventure. You guys can become ninjas, too!" He smiled. "Sure, Xira…" he stood and kissed me on my bandaged forehead. "I'll come visit you next month. The council only gives Yudaj one off day a month." And with that he was gone.

* * *

><p>It was hard to sleep that night. I wasn't used to the hospital's beds and I was also anxious to see Sasuke again and feared that if I fell asleep he would witness my horrible sleeping habits (I was always told that I was a wild sleeper).<p>

I glanced over at the alarm clock that was placed on a small table on my side. 4:20…

I heard a drumming noise from the opposite side of the room. Someone was tapping on the window. I rolled over and saw Sasuke outside. Despite of the darkness of the night, I could recognize the awkward spikes of his hair. Yep, using electricity to fight will do that to you…

I let him inside and watched him as he took a seat in the hospital chair that he sat in earlier. He stared at me once again with that same ferocity that he did so many times before. "Sit…" I took a place on the bed next to him. A long silence hung over us. Who was going to break the silence?

"You've been lying to me this whole time…" I furrowed my brows. "First of all, you never asked, therefore I was not lying. Simply withholding information." His hand went up to my horns. "I knew that you were different but I never thought of this." Stop it!

I slapped his hand away. "If you honestly think I am a monster just say so… Just say it so it won't hurt as much later on… I'll leave. You will never have to see me again." I was curling my hands so tightly into a fist that I drew blood. "Shut up…" He snapped. "Do you honestly think that I'm going to let some horns and a different blood color scare me away? I will get what I want and I refuse to let anything take that away. Isn't that why you fell so hard for me? My determination?" He smirked at me. "No. I didn't fall for anything. I just followed you around because you always bought me food." I put a fake pout on my face. "Really now? You would choose food over me?" He climbed onto the bed and rested his head in my lap and sighed beatifically. "This is perfect…" he said. "What do you mean?" The fact that he was laying in my lap? Surely my thighs weren't that soft… "No. It's just that… I finally have my brother back and now I have someone who I can truly enjoy being with… It can't get any better." There he goes talking about his brother again. Just what did those two go through anyway? "What happened between you and your brother?"

Sasuke shifted his gaze up to look into my eyes. After a few moments of hesitation, he continued. "My brother has always loved me more than life itself and he would do anything for my well-being…" He then plunged into the long, heart-wrenching tale between the two last surviving Uchiha clan members. How his brother murdered his whole family in an attempt to make him stronger through hatred and vengeance. How that same thirst for vengeance drove him into the hands of the notorious villain, Orochimaru. Three years later, he was unbelievably stronger and slayed the snake-like ninja, who was eventually going to kill him in order to use his body for a forbidden jutsu.

Sasuke then set out for revenge against his brother. He thirsted for his blood and wanted him dead. And he eventually killed him only to be told the painful truth afterwards by a man named Madara. He was told that his brother was forced to kill his family in order to protect the village. The village was at fault so he vowed revenge on it. He caused chaos and took part in a major ninja war that killed countless people. But somehow Itachi was revived, and quelled the hatred in his heart. He gave up on the revenge and returned to village. (Naruto's forgiving heart allowed him to live there peacefully.)

Now I understood why the bond between them was so strong…

I yawned. The results of staying up all night were catching up to me. Sasuke took notice of this. "Have you been up all night?" He asked. "Yeah. But I couldn't go to sleep anyway." He stood up. "I should be going. You need all the sleep you can get. How long will you be in here?" I thought about it. "Not long. Darklings heal fast. I would say a week." The window creaked as he opened it and let a cool gust of air in the room. "Do you have any hobbies?" He asked before leaving. "Well, I like to play instruments even though I'm not good at it. I love the violin. I wish I could play it in here but the other residents wouldn't appreciate that." He chuckled, bid me farewell, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Yeah… Rex is going to totally flip his shit because I have fallen. Hard…


	4. Chapter 4

I awoke the next day feeling relieved. The visit from Sasuke lifted a burden from my heart. He didn't judge me for my appearance.

A small light rested at the foot of my bed. I retrieved it and saw that it was another note from Zane. Why was he still sending me notes? He just left me a few hours ago…

_Ne, Xira!_

Again with the "ne"s…

_Well, we have just received some new info and… We think that Rex is on your planet…_

"What?" I yelled. Hopefully no one heard that.

_When he eventually finds you (He will), go easy on him. He has been suffering for a minor case of Schizophrenia. That's why he destroyed the book! He claims that the voices in his head persuaded him to do it!_

_We've researched the cause of the voices and learned that the one and only Ilana Xenis was the one behind it all. (Stupid bitch…)_

Zane may appear to be sweet, but he tended to be pretty awful behind people's backs…

_You'll have to take him on by yourself. Or with the help of your boyfriend. That would be best. Rex has been training a whole lot since you left..._

_But any who! You have a blood thirsty pureblood on your tail! ~Have Fun! ~_

_~Zane~_

It never ends…

* * *

><p>Lady Tsunade was serious about keeping me in the hospital. She claimed that I needed more rest that anyone could manage. My body was already injured from moving an entire cruise ship. Moving a planet just made things worse.<p>

I was eventually freed from the hospital with the harsh warning to not overexert myself. Next time I end up there, I was to be tied to the bed with iron shackles. She made it seem so dramatic.

I vowed to myself that I would give Rex a harsh pimp slap next time I saw him. To be thwarted by Ilana, my arch nemesis… He was truly due for an ass whooping… Because of this whole misunderstanding, I killed three people and was almost executed at one point. But that was all partially my fault. I need to stop overreacting.

I found a perch on one of the fences in an alley. Now all there was to do was wait. It was half past five and Hinata Hyuuga usually took this road on her way home after training. Sasuke wasn't home and I needed to talk to him fast. A mission was necessary at this point. An opportunity to look for Rex. If things were as bad as I pictured in my mind, he would become a national enemy. Rex spared no one when pissed.

I saw the pale-eyed girl round the corner. Now was my chance. "Hinata!" I waved her in my direction. She approached me. "Hello, Xira. Is there anything that you need?" I nodded. There seemed to be something in her voice. Like she was holding something back. "What I _need _is to know where a certain Uchiha has gone. That boy is extremely hard to get a hold of."

"Oh, yes. He'd thought that you would come looking for me. He told me to give you this." She let out a wavering sigh and passed me a note. Why all the notes? Are these guys afraid of me? Am I that intimidating that they can't come out and tell me in person?

_Xira…_

_I knew that you would be looking for me but unfortunately, I had to leave for a two-week mission. _

ASSHOLE!

_It is actually for the best knowing that you'd be looking for me. You are most likely trying to get yourself into a mission despite the fact that you are SEVERELY INJURED… Sit down, read a book and wait… I'll be back to entertain you in a few weeks…_

_Sasuke…_

Well that is just dandy… I need him now but he just got up and left.

"Is there something wrong?" Hinata asked. I threw the paper down and stomped on it several times. "Yes! There is something terribly wrong here. The Uchiha bastard is gone when I need him most! This is a whole bucketful of wrong. It's like this situation was just plunged in some Wrong Fudge and turned into a motherfucking Bad Situation Sundae!" she took a couple steps back.

"Well," she chuckled nervously. "He has a good point. You need to rest for a while. Although you are out of the hospital, you are still hurt. Oh! He also told me to tell you that you should go home for a surprise." With that, she turned and left, saying that her dad would be expecting her soon.

I burst through the doors of my apartment. Where is it? Where is the surprise?

I entered my room and saw a bump bulging under the covers of my bed. What?

Flinging the blanket back, I saw what made Sasuke the sweetest guy I had ever met.

It was beautiful. A mahogany colored violin laid next to a couple sheets of music. I could have giggled with glee.

I grabbed the instrument and tried the first few lines of the song. Not bad, but not good either. I would have to practice. This was most likely Sasuke's way of telling me to stay home until he gets back. That I need to find something to focus on other than missions. I guess that I could obey this one request…

* * *

><p>The next three days were spent strictly on nothing but the violin. I learned to play the song appointed quickly and was now truly skilled in it. The drive to improve my efforts for the sake of someone I loved sped up the process.<p>

I went to the library and took all of their music pieces for the violin (26 songs in all) and was now on the fourteenth song. I truly had a talent for music. I just never had the time.

I was learning to play a piece named "Ode to the Lady of the Water" when a fierce wrapping at my door stopped me.

I answered and saw three ninjas, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino, at my door. "Hey, guys! What do you need?" Shikamaru looked over my shoulder. "You play the violin?" he asked. "Yeah, I do. I'm getting better at it. A few days ago, I couldn't even play a decent tune." Please let it be a mission.

"Well, you are needed for a mission. There's no need to stop by the Hokage's office because I'll be giving you the details. Meet us at the front gates in one hour." They left and I was overflowing with happiness. A mission is exactly what I needed.

* * *

><p>An hour later, I was waiting at the front gates for my next instructions. It was an escort mission. An old woman (in her 80s or 90s) needed to be accompanied to a small village within the country. She seemed to be an important figure. If this mission were to go wrong, there would be a lot of uproar.<p>

The old woman was tiny. Adorable in an ancient way. She had long, wavy, gray hair and a nice smile. I held my hand out to introduce myself. "I'm Xira Merid. I'll be one of the ninjas escorting you today." I tried to smile to reassure her about the mission. To tell her that everything would be alright. She took my hand and shook it vehemently. "I am glad that I have such a strong looking girl guarding me on this journey. It is so hard to find strong women these days in a world dominated by men…" Her blue eyes sparkled as she beamed at me. I felt my face get hot. It wasn't every day that I was complemented so.

"Why, thank you. And you are?" I asked. "My name is Asako…"

We soon departed. Team 10 and I minus their squad leaders. Four people in all. The village that we travelled to was at least three days away and with the frequent stops we had to make for Asako, the time only doubled.

We stopped by a lake to gather supplies for the night. Setting up camp was quick and finding food to eat was easy. I soon slipped away to practice mixing my fighting style with my Mana skills. Sasuke pointed out to me that one cannot win a fight with just blindly throwing punches and using fancy tricks. It will take more than brute strength.

The old woman found me there and praised my training. "I see that you are talented in using the Dark Arts…" I ceased an attack that featured me cloaking myself in a dark fire. The point in this was to take down several enemies at once when surrounded. With some difficulty, I extinguished the flames. "How do you know about the Arts?" Then old woman took a seat on a nearby stump. "Oh, child. I know more than you think. I am, of course, one of the many soldiers that fought in the War…" My heart skipped a beat. "The War of Awakening?" she nodded.

The Great War of Awakening was a worldwide war that took place on my planet centuries ago. Various countries were arguing over the right to worship God, giving that we are the children of demons. Most of the veterans have died of old age.

"So, if this is true, then what is your real name? If you are of Ateria, then you must have an Aterian name, right?" "Meitra…" This is where I began to flip my shit.

Meitra… The great Meitra… The very same Meitra who destroyed 500 government fleets and eventually won the whole war (with twenty-three others) in the favor of those who wanted to continue worshipping God as they always have. She was my hero… My brother and mother told me stories of her heroic efforts ever since I was a small child. From time to time, I would ask my brother to tell me more about her. (I would never admit this to my friends though.)

"M-meitra! The Meitra? You are a war hero! My idol! I'm actually meeting you!" She chuckled. "How are you even still alive? That battle took place over two centuries ago!" "You have so much more to learn about your own race. Take a seat…" she motioned a hand toward a boulder adjacent to the stump that she rested on.

That whole evening, I was told many answers to my many questions. She explained how she was still alive, due to the natural longevity of a Darkling's life. That's why our population is so low. It's hard for us to reproduce but in turn, we can live for up to two hundred years.

(Speaking of reproduction now would be a good time to explain the difference between a darkling female and a human female. While human girls have a menstrual cycle every month for seven days, a darkling girl has a cycle every year for a month.)

She asked me the reason for me training when I could be laughing and conversing with the others. "I have been training with a boy named Sasuke Uchiha. He has given me several tips and suggested that I try mixing a fighting style with my Mana use." She let out a knowing "oh". "Sasuke Uchiha, huh? I have heard so much about him." I don't see how she couldn't have. "That boy. I have heard the girls of the village talk so much about him. He seems to be quite the heartthrob." I snickered. "But you should be careful with him. Those girls have said some depressing things about their experiences with him." Experiences? What? "Especially that Ino girl. Sasuke seems to go out with the most gullible girls and once he gets what he wants, he gets rid of them." "What do you mean by that?" "He is a man, child. And all men are the same. They only look for one thing in a girl…"

I felt as if I had been hit by a locomotive. If she was talking about what I thought she was, that would mean that Sasuke banged Ino. That does not reassure me at all. "But he is an Uchiha though. Those men are different, if I must say so myself." She had a smug grin on her face. What?

I looked at the approaching stars overhead. It was dark now. "Meitra, we should be getting back." She agreed as I held a hand out to help her up from the stump. She immediately pulled me down to her level. "Behind you to your right. A well-built pureblood with pale skin. Do you know him?" she whispered to me in my ear so that we wouldn't be overheard. I glanced in the area described. Pale skin, long, brown spiky hair, and gleaming, animalistic, and orange eyes. Shirtless. Rex always liked to walk around like that.

"Rex Mavros." I answered. "One of my peers. I was told that he has been roaming this world in search of me. He is slightly insane due to a mild case of Schizophrenia." "He's been there for a while. He looks vicious. Can you take him?" She said. She let her grip on my arm loosen. "Yes, ma'am. I would always defeat him while we sparred in class." I turned in the stalker's direction. "Rex! You have been found out so just come at me!" He stepped into the clearing. Rex. His brown hair trailing over his shoulders and stopping just below the collarbone. His bangs were parted in the middle and fell down to both sides of his face. His eye/blood color was the total opposite of mine. (A darkling's eye color id the color placed diagonal of it on the color wheel. For example, my blue blood and orange eyes.) Rex's blood was a macaroni type orange. A color that we always teased him for but not much since that blood meant he had the prettiest eyes one could have. A deep ocean blue. One could be easily captivated by them.

"So I see that you made friends…" His voice was deep and ominous. This was not Rex. "What of it? Why do you care?" My voice was unexpectedly stern. "I never took you for the type that'd throw her friends away. I mean… You have the opportunity to go home but you would rather stay and play ninja with these, these weaklings… And to think that you would fall in love with one of these sad excuses for humans." He charged with his claymore in hand. A large magnificent sword with a golden, jewel encrusted hilt. I ducked low to the ground to dodge the blow and swiftly rose afterwards to land a hit on his back with my elbow. He was down in a matter of seconds.

Rushing over to Meitra, I grabbed her by the hand and lead her back to the way of the camp. I needed her to be someplace safe. My effort was halted by a hand pulling my hair back with all of its might. Meitra, startled, began to come after me but was stopped short by a severe command from me to go. She left and headed south, in the direction of the others.

I grabbed a kunai, and in a desperate attempt to free myself from Rex's grasp, stabbed him in the wrist. He cried out and let me go, allowing me to spring away and launch another attack. A barrage of dark fire was thrown in his direction but he evaded it with ease. A heavy foot lashed against the back of my knees and sent me to the ground. The same foot was then crashing down on my back several times. I felt a crack in my abdomen and saw my vision go blurry. He was then on his knees beside me, caressing my hair.

"Why do you always resist me? Ever since we were kids, you would ignore me and deny my feelings. And yet you seemed to be so easily swooned by a mere human. Why? Have you given yourself to him yet? I wouldn't be surprised if you did, you conniving bitch." He rolled me onto my back with his foot and pressed a heavy boot on my chest. "Why do I waste my time on you? There are plenty of girls that would be happy to be with me…" He appeared to be asking himself these questions. He turned his sights to the sky. Rex's only weakness was his over-confidence in himself. One should never turn their backs on an enemy.

I snaked my hands to the spot where his foot rested and placed them on each side. He kept his eyes upward, towards the heavens.

With a swift movement, I twisted the ankle. Rex fell to the ground, writhing about in pain. Now we switched places. He was on the ground and I was towering above him with sword to his forehead. "You're better than this Rex. We are purebloods. We don't go this low. Why are you so jealous of a mere human? Are you angry that he managed to get what you couldn't? Is that it? I kneeled down to force some Mana to my hand and press it to his forehead. The most I could do was try to force the sickness out with some raw power. As I did this I spoke to him to keep him awake while I did so. "Rex, you are my friend. I will always love you. But I am sorry if it is not the type of love that you want. And no, I didn't give myself to him yet. I don't know when I'll be ready for that, if you really must know." He peered in my direction. I could see him slowly change into the old Rex that I've always known. "Whoever that guy is that Zane told me about. The one that you like…Is the luckiest bastard alive." He went unconscious after that.

* * *

><p>The mission ended soon after that. Meitra was safely escorted to the village (while undercover with the name of Asako. She refused to tell me why she was undercover.)<p>

I didn't bother to bring Rex with me. Things would be better if we went our own ways. He would probably be wounded by my current relationship. Plus, I am still pissed that he would succumb to a case of magic-based Schizophrenia. My friend is too strong for that.

I was eager to return to the village even though my actions revealed no evidence of it. I wanted to see Sasuke as soon as possible. I gradually became more and more attached to the boy.

I reached my apartment plagued with fatigue. I lazily threw my bag to the side. I stood in the middle of my living room trying to think of what to do next. A shower? I smelled myself. Yes, a shower would be good.

I entered my bathroom and stripped down to prepare for my shower. I felt no need to close my door since I was the only person in the house. That was a bad habit that my mother passed down to me. She and I had no secrets from each other, so we never closed our doors except for when my brother or other guests were home. Approaching the shower, I stopped short at the sight of myself in the mirror. Low self-esteem issues were one of my many faults. I glared at my small breast that could barely fill an A-cup. My mother would tell me that it was all about quality over the size. That their natural perkiness would attract guys. I usually told her that she was wrong.

I couldn't bring myself to stop glaring at my reflection. Why would one of the hottest guys in town like me? I wasn't anything like Hinata. She was well-equipped and had a beautiful personality to go with her looks. I had no shape and was moody all the time. I honestly thought that she and Sasuke would make the better couple. Sasuke and I could get along remarkably well, but I could never give him what he needed. I was almost sure that some part of him wants to rebuild his clan, but he would never get that with me, a girl who can only get pregnant during one month of the year.

I ushered all the will power that I had to cease the stupid grudge against my reflection and take a shower. But those last thoughts never exited my brain. I remember the things that Rex said earlier.

"_Have you given yourself to him, yet?" _

Why would I? Was I even ready to do that? Me? A fifteen year old girl who's never had any experience with that sort of thing. I couldn't even dare to think the word. Even though I have heard it so many times from my friends, neither of them being virgins. When they would ask me about it, I would clam up and try to change the subject. It was expected for a darkling to lose their virginity at this age, but there was something holding me back. I couldn't give something so precious to me to just anyone…

I stopped the water and prepared to exit the shower. I froze in mid-step when I heard my name being called. "Xira? Are you here?" Dammit Sasuke! Why do you choose now to use that spare key that I gave you?

I tried to think of plan that would allow me to close my door. "Yeah! I'm here! Wait for a second." I answered. I would just have to move swiftly and hope that I could close it before he followed the sound of my voice to the bathroom.

I dashed out of the shower. I always knew that my bad habits would catch up with me.

I froze and stared at the boy who stared right back. He eyed me up and down as I desperately tried to cover myself. It never occurred to me to close the door. Some part of me actually wanted him to see. To witness what he's been going out with for the past few months. To save the awkward moments if we ever decide to do _that._

He continued to stare at me. Every place his eyes fell upon sparked with energy. Why wasn't he turning away?

His eyes finally met mine. He blushed and murmured a quiet "sorry" before closing the door. That was extremely awkward.

I slowly dressed myself in some pajamas. Blue, fuzzy pants and a black sports bra. I thought to myself how it never occurred to me that Sasuke could be embarrassed, too. He was also a human being, I had to remind myself. I finally, with second thoughts, entered the living room where the Uchiha waited. I sat down next to him on the couch.

His gaze lifted to my face. "I'm sorry." He said. "I was just trying to make sure you made it home okay." That was sweet. I smiled. "That's alright. I should start closing my doors. It's a bad habit of mine to leave them open if I'm the only one home." He smirked. "I actually hope that you would leave them open more often…" "What? You don't think I'm underdeveloped? I mean, I can barely fill a normal-sized bra…" He kissed the base of my neck. "You should have more confidence in your body. You are beautiful in my eyes. I don't understand why every person automatically assumes that I like big breasts or long hair. To tell the truth… Your body type attracts me the most." He glanced up at me as his fingers playfully fiddled with the ties of my pants. Here comes the shell. I began to twiddle my own fingers. "Are you telling the truth?" I asked in a mouse-like voice. He chuckled. "What happened to the big and bad Xira that I've known for the past few months? Yes, I am. Why would I lie to you about these things?" I kept my gaze lowered.

"Why are you so timid right now? Do things like this really bother you?" I slowly shook my head, mentally cursing myself for not being brave at this time. "What will it take for you to believe that I think you're beautiful?" I shrugged my shoulders. He frowned and stood up. I must look pathetic to him right now. He held out a hand and as I took it, lifted me off the couch. His soft lips met with my own. "Believe me, you are beautiful. Besides, I don't like you for your looks. I have a thing for powerful girls. And not many can kick my ass while we're sparring." Now I blushed. Not many guys can make me do that.

He gave my hands a final squeeze before releasing them. "We have a mission tomorrow. We have to escort the Hokage to a summit. She and the other four will be meeting to discuss the major change in the atmosphere." I was speechless. I forgot that I was the one behind that. That only a month ago, I had moved the entire planet from one galaxy to the next.

He smiled at my reaction. "Lady Tsunade is incredibly thankful for what you did. You risked your life for the well-being of this planet and the people on it." I laughed. "Thanks for telling me."

Sasuke left the house to speak to his best friend. He wouldn't tell me why but I didn't worry. A guy needs his privacy every once in a while.

* * *

><p>My heart seemed to sing for the rest of the day. I decided that I could do something productive with my time for a change. I should go get some groceries. I was running low on food. Sasuke often said that I have the healthiest appetite that he has ever seen in a girl. It was true. I did.<p>

I eyed the bags full of groceries in my hand. I had everything that I needed within them. I went through a lot of trouble to get my hands on this tuna since it was the only type of fish that I could stomach. It was the last one and a woman wouldn't give up on it. So I grabbed it and purchased it as fast as I could.

The walk to my house was shorter this time. The uplifting scenery must have distracted me. The village must have just completed some rebuilding because the buildings looked so new.

I walked down a cobblestone path that trailed throughout the village, lined with benches and forestry on both sides. I heard faint sobs from further down the road. A girl was crying somewhere.

I followed the sound until I located its origin. Hinata Hyuuga was sitting on a bench, sobbing into her hands. The tears seeped through her fingers and down her arms. "Hinata?" I asked. She looked up at me with watery eyes. I sighed. "I would ask if everything was alright but that would be a stupid question to ask." I placed my bags down beside the bench and took a spot next to her. "Did something happen?" she exhaled deeply. "Why do people fall in love when they know that it will only bring pain? Why do they continue to hurt their selves over and over again? Is it just human nature?" Oh, god. It was one of those problems… "Tell me what happened and I might just be able to answer that."

She then told me about her lifelong struggle with true love. When she first saw the boy of her dreams, Naruto Uzumaki, when she was a little girl. She continued to love him, even though he was totally oblivious to her affection no matter how many hints she sent his way. Every time he spoke to her, her face would flush many shades of red and she would stutter with her words. She would give him gifts a medicinal herbs to help with his training and secretly plan out her love confession to him in the mirror. Then, there was the day that the village was attacked. Naruto was battling with the villain who caused it all and was nearly defeated. That's when Hinata rushed in and attempted to save him, admitting her love to him while doing so. He won the battle and became the village hero. And now, a year and a half later, he has still not answered her confession. He ignored it altogether and instead, decided to go out with Sakura Haruno. Despite the fact that Hinata had risked her life for him…

I stared at the ground in shock. And all this time, I actually felt somewhat sorry for the boy and his past. Believing that no one had ever loved him until he eventually became a ninja and gained friends. But all along he had this girl who loved him with all her heart, yet he was too stupid to see it.

I rose to my feet and held a hand out to the pale-eyed girl. "Well, I think that you should move on." I said. "An idiot like him doesn't deserve someone as devoted as you." She took the hand as I helped her off the bench. "I don't think I can get over him. I love him, Xira." She said. "Yes. The heart is a tricky thing to mess with. But if we work together, we may just be able to mend yours." She gave me a doubtful look. "Oh, come on! We should go to a club or something. A little fun and laughter is always good for the soul." "But… We're like fifteen! We can't get into a club." I grinned a devious smirk. "Try me…"

* * *

><p>The music in the club made it harder to think which is what I was aiming for. If you couldn't think, you couldn't get sad.<p>

Hinata and I sat at a table in the far corner of the club, drinking water from dark colored glasses so that no one would notice that we weren't drinking alcohol. I wore a loosely fitted, cream-colored blouse that my mother previously owned. With it, I wore some dark skinny jeans and golden heels that my brother would kill me for if he knew I had them. I was something simple and out-of-character for me, but I will do anything for a friend in need.

Hinata on the other hand looked completely normal in what she was wearing. A short, black skirt and a deep violet blouse with some black sandals. She looked mature. Hinata was the only reason we were able to get into the club.

I took a long sip of my water. "Ino hates your guts, you know." Hinata stated. "Oh?" I replied. "Yes. She is very jealous of the fact that you were able to catch Sasuke's attention within a few mere weeks after she has been trying for several years now." I nearly choked on my water. Laughing and drinking at the same time wasn't a good idea. "Well, it's not my fault." I said while patting my chest. "First of all, one can't force their feelings on someone. Second, she is stupid for wasting all of that time on one guy. If he doesn't like you move on."

We talked for about an hour or so and a friendship was soon forged. Hinata was a kind and patient person. She would first listen to my views on a subject and then state her opinion on it. So much different from what I was used to back home. One would have to scream to be heard.

"What is it like going out with Sasuke?" She asked me. "It's hard for me to imagine him being affectionate when he always appears to be a cold, emotionless downer all the time." "Well," I started. "Sasuke may be that on the outside. But he is very kind and has a big heart once you get past all the cold layers. If you ask me, he's like an onion. You have to get past a lot of layers." I lowered my head and raised a hand to my face to shield my mouth from that room in a mocking manner. "But don't tell anyone. He'll skin me alive."

It was true. Sasuke was one of the sweetest guys I knew. He was himself when we were alone and didn't care about what he did because he knew that I wouldn't judge him. In public, he would show just the tiniest acts of affection like holding my hand or planting a simple kiss on the back of it. It was amazing how someone who seemed so cold and indifferent could also be such a good boyfriend. I was glad that he was my sparring partner five months ago. That our stupid grudge match led to a relationship that would hopefully last much longer. Sasuke has become a major part of my life. I just hoped that he felt the same.

We both laughed. This was fun. Having a non-male friend was something I had never experienced before. I grew up around a bunch of guys. But here, things were different. I still had some guy friends, but they weren't anything like the assholes back home. And I had Hinata and Shizune. They allowed me to be a girl. To vent out my frustrations without being judged. And then I had Sasuke. A boyfriend who made me feel like I was a queen. When he looked at me, he didn't see a weird, alien girl from another planet. He didn't see a flat-chested tomboy. He saw _me._

Hinata's eyes looked past me. "Uh, oh." She said while smiling. "Wha-" I was interrupted by a feather-like sensation on my sides. Someone was tickling me.

I felt lips come near my right ear. "Why exactly is my girl in a nightclub without me? A notice would be nice. Maybe even an invitation." Sasuke pulled me out of my seat and dragged me away from the table. I looked back at Hinata, hoping that she wouldn't be angry at me for this. She seemed to be having an exciting conversation with her teammate, Kiba.

Sasuke pulled me through the crowd of dancing people. He was wearing a black dress shirt and wore a vest over it. He was handsome.

He lead me to the balcony outside, away from all the music and chaos. It leered over a small pond and had a beautiful view of the village. He walked towards the ledge and signaled me to follow.

Sasuke didn't tell me the words "I love you" a whole lot. But he knew that he didn't have to. He didn't have to say it for me to know that he did. I saw it in his eyes. The way they sparkled when they fell on me. The way they lit up when I walked into the room.

I stood beside him and placed my hands on the metal railing that kept people from falling in the pond below. I looked at Sasuke, who was looking at the village on the horizon with his head resting on his hand as he leaned on the railing. "Sorry. I should have told you that I was coming here. I was mainly doing this for Hinata, though. She seemed sad and needed help." He kept his gaze ahead of him with a slight smirk on his face. He wasn't upset. Good…

"She has been like that for a while now. I almost feel sorry for her. She was the one who loved Naruto all of this time, but he was too stupid to see it." He now had his full attention turned towards me. "Are you ready for the mission tomorrow?" I nodded. "Sure. It'll be easy. Escort missions always are." He placed a hand on my own. Even though his expression betrayed no evidence of worry, the tense vibe he gave off told it all. "Xira, this isn't just an escort mission. We'll be escorting the Hokage. Even though we're living in a period of peace, people will still see this as a chance to assassinate her and bring chaos to the village. We have to be prepared to fight with all we've got in order to protect her." His hand tightened around my own. I lowered my gaze to the water below. "I understand…"

He closed the distance between us. He was now hugging me. "Why don't you ever wear a skirt?" "What?" I asked. "You have good legs, yet you always hide them behind pants. Why?" I thought about it. "My thighs… I don't them at all. They're too big." He sighed. A hand reached down to my left thigh and squeezed, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. "From the glimpse I caught of you earlier today, I'd say that you have some pretty sexy legs." Oh, god… _That _again.

I felt my face grow hot. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." My voice trailed off. I wish that this conversation hadn't gone in this direction. "I'm sorry but I haven't been able to get that out of my mind. When I saw you, I couldn't look away. I had to concentrate in order to my hormones in check." His hand trailed up to my hip. "I honestly don't get what the deal is with your self-esteem issues." His hand got higher. It was now directly under my left breast. I knew where he was going with this but honestly didn't want him to stop. I was willing to let him do this.

My breathing hitched and the world seemed to move around us in slow motion. I felt the hand take the final step and cup around my breast, showering it with the softest of caresses. I wanted him to be rougher with me but he was being a tease. This feeling, it was foreign to me…

We went on like this for several moments until I began to make the oddest panting noises. It was uncontrollable. The sensation was so good that I couldn't even control myself anymore.

"Stop!" I grabbed his hand and held it away from its former resting place. "Is there something wrong?" He asked. I shook my head and mouthed the word "no" even though he couldn't see it. "I'm not ready for this sort of thing Sasuke. I love you but…" A long silence hung between us. "One must be comfortable with one's own body in order to do that." I stepped away from his embrace. "I'm sorry. I know that this is something you want, but it's also something that I'm not ready to give up yet." What is wrong with me? Was I truly afraid of this sort of thing? In my earlier days, I wouldn't hesitate to do something dangerous. I would stab, rob and kill. No task was too difficult for me. Yet I was unable to do this one thing for the person I loved.

Another hand tilted my head up towards him so that I could look him in the eye. "Let's go home…" He said.

* * *

><p>We arrived home by ten, and what had happened earlier at the club still unnerved me. What was up with Sasuke? Were we finally to that point in our relationship that he finally wanted <em>that <em>from me? It was a thought that frightened me. I had no idea what to do!

We sat on the couch and lazed about. He rested his head on my lap and I placed my head on my upturned hand. My arm was mounted on the armrest of the couch. I stared off into space as he seemed to rest his eyes. I was somewhat comforted about him not saying anything about earlier. Like it was some kind of silent agreement. The sheer pleasure of just being in each other's company that comforted us. No words had to be said.

We slowly drifted off to sleep after that.


	5. Chapter 5

The boat we boarded was a huge cargo ship. I carried hundreds of barrels that stared provisions below the deck. This mission was predicted to take a month to complete. An escort mission that focused on getting the Hokage safely to and from the summit that is being held to discuss the relocation of the entire planet. Teams seven through ten and a few others were appointed to this mission.

* * *

><p>Everyone seemed to be enjoying the trip (with the exception of Lee and Guy, who were seasick). Sasuke was nowhere to be found. I guess that he just wanted some time to himself since we had spent all the time leading up to the departure together. I felt guilty that I denied him what he desired last night. I should have been stronger. More brave…<p>

I saw Hinata admiring the view of the ocean by the railing. "Hey, Hinata. Sorry I left so early last night. I was dragged away." She giggled. "Yeah, I saw it. Did something happen between you and Sasuke?" I tilted my head to the side. "What makes you think that?" "Well, I've noticed that you two aren't really talking right now." I lowered my gaze and leaned over the rail. "Oh, that… I guess that is the reason, huh?" She copied my movement. "What happened?" "Sasuke… He was… In an amorous mood last night. But I couldn't bring myself to give him what he wanted. I was afraid…" "Afraid of what? It doesn't hurt that much. At least I think. Were you just afraid of how you would perform?" I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I just was." I had no reason to fear Sasuke. We trusted each other with almost everything. Well almost everything.

I have told Sasuke about most of the things about myself. My origins, the event in which my mother died. But I have failed to tell him about my murderous personality. The fact that I don't hesitate to kill anyone. Like on my first mission when I killed that scientist and the king without a second thought. I have always been like this ever since my mother died. My brother and friends were also aware of it. On my planet, such behavior was supported. It was a way to survive. Since children like me are always targeted by frequent rapists and killers, it is best that I can protect myself. I've been killing people ever since the age of seven.

"That may be it…" I muttered to myself. "It may the fact that I haven't told him everything about myself. That's what is keeping me from doing this." Hinata nodded. "Trust is an important factor." I wanted to tell him this last thing. So that this could all be over. But something was holding me back.

"I'm going to go find him… Thank you." I said. I made my way below deck so that I could face the Uchiha.

I traveled down a hallway line with many doors. Bedrooms, I assumed. This ship was built for luxury rather than practicality. I saw Naruto walking in my direction. Maybe he knew about Sasuke's whereabouts.

"Naruto!" He stopped to speak. "Do you need anything? Is there something wrong?" I shook my head. "I just need to know where Sasuke is. I need to talk to him about something." His smile left his face. A hand went up to the back of his head as he began to rub his neck in an uneasy manner. "Well, he is in the baths. But he just needs to be alone." I blinked at him. "Wow. He must be in a really bad mood…" He agreed with me. "He didn't even want to speak to me. He's thinking about something and he won't tell me." The guilt came back more powerful than ever. "Okay. I'll just find something to do until he's ready to talk." I left him with a simple goodbye and continued down the hallway. I can at least go explore the ship.

I opened door after door. I passed all of the bedroom and went on to the ones designed for luxury. One was an art room. I found Sai there painting a beautiful picture. That's how I ended up agreeing to pose for a picture later on in the trip. I was looking forward to it. I also came across a room where the underwater view was visible. You could see all of the fish and the coral reefs that we passed. There was also a library, a lab and an infirmary.

I continued the expedition. I was never the curious type but when bored, one must find something to occupy their self with.

I came across two double doors. It seemed to lead to a large room of some sort. I debated on whether or not to open it. I eventually decided on opening it. I should have just kept walking.

The room was a large bathing area. The walls and floors were tiled and a large basin full of water was centered in it. I saw Sasuke soaking in the water, his back turned to me. If I left now he would never know I was here.

"Something on your mind?" He asked. I forgot that I was dealing with a former S-rank criminal.

I sat down approximately five feet away from the bath and with my back facing Sasuke. "Nothing in particular. I just wanted to ask you a que-" He interrupted my sentence. "I'm not upset about last night. If that's what you're thinking. I don't want to rush you into something that you're not ready for." I smirked. "Well thanks for being considerate. Did you know that they have an underwater observatory here? It's awesome…" I said, changing the subject. "Why does this bother you so much? Do you not trust me?" he wasn't going to let this go. "I trust you! That's why I am here. I just figured that we shouldn't have any secrets between us. Anymore, that is." Here goes. "Sasuke… I have been keeping one last detail from you. I've told you about my mother, and where I come from but there is one last thing I haven't…" There was a long pause. "On my world, things aren't as they are on yours. Children are raised to be killers. Murderers. You have to remember that. I kill people..." I listened for any reaction. "I was named the most savage of my town. I will kill someone without a moment's hesitation. Like the scientist and the wolf monster. Ever since I was a child. Are you prepared to deal with that?" He snorted. "Do not forget that I am a monster too…" I heard a disturbance in the water. He was lifting himself out of the bath. "All because all the crimes I have committed are forgiven doesn't mean I have changed." The sharp sound of bare feet was closing in on me. "It's true that I am happy that I have my brother back. But that doesn't change the fact that I am a cold-blooded killer." I felt something cold on my back. His katana. What was he doing? "Get that thing off of me. Have you lost your mind?" He chuckled darkly behind me.

"Meet me outside. I have something I want you to see."

After he got dressed, Sasuke began to lead me down a long corridor. It was quiet and the only light was from the dim light bulbs overhead.

We walked beside each other. "What is it you want to show me?" I asked him. "If I wanted you to know, I would have told you by now." He grabbed my hand and gave me a mischievous smirk. "It's just something you should see." I sighed. He was being difficult.

He stopped in front of another pair of double doors. He pushed them open and pulled me inside.

The room was dark. Sasuke felt against the wall for the light switch. He found it and the room suddenly filled with light. I saw over two dozen images of me strewn out across the room. Images of both me and Sasuke.

We stood in the center of a dance studio. The walls were made up of large mirrors and were lined with railings to assist with dancing.

"What is the meaning of this? Why did you bring me here?" He hugged me from behind and pointed to a nearby wall. I saw our reflection. His beautiful, pale face framed by his spiky, black hair. I then saw my round, dark-skinned face. The pain in my chest flared again.

"That there is a strong, beautiful girl. She's a Libra. She is moody, sarcastic, and has a short temper. But she also has a kind heart, a soft spot for ramen, and undying love for music. I need to know if you see what I see…" he said. "Sasuke, this is stupid. What do you mean?" I stepped away from me and in one quick maneuver, spun me around to face him. "You really are useless…" he narrowed his eyes at me. "What I am trying to do is to make you see all of the good things about you. I just thought that if you stopped seeing all the bad in you, you wouldn't be so uneasy when I try to love you. But clearly you must not want my love if you refuse to see the good." He turned to walk away. What? Why was he saying this? I did want his love…

"Wait Sasuke!" He stopped his advance towards the door. "Okay, fine! If this is what you want…" My voice trailed off. I couldn't believe what I was about to say. "When we get back to the village… When this is all over. I promise that I will be yours. My virginity will belong to you…" He turned oblique to me. "Alright? Is it a deal?" I asked. He muttered a single "hn" and left the room.

I stood, alone, in the center of the room. Slowly freaking out over the decision I just made. I was going to lose my virginity after the mission. In one month, I would lose my title as a virgin.

* * *

><p>I met up with Sai in the art room so that I could pose for him and his picture. He was working on the same picture as before. An abstract painting that reminded me of the sea. It was beautiful. I sat down beside him. "So... What do I need to do?" He smiled and eyed me. It's about time you got here. I was wondering if you got lost." I rolled my eyes. "You need to change clothes." He nodded in the direction of a beautiful white kimono. It had an intricate pattern of a red fire bird that trailed up the side.<p>

I stripped down. Sai turned his back to me to give me some privacy. The only thing the kimono would allow me to wear along with it was my underwear. I had to get rid of my sports bra because the straps would show. The kimono was short with a low cut v-neck. It allowed a lot of skin to be seen. I glared silently at Sai's back. This was all his doing.

I laid down on a mat that was placed in front of the wall adjacent to the boy. It had a mural on it of a beautiful sunset over a horizon. I settled down on my side so that I could prop myself with my arm and rest the other hand on my hip.

He finally turned and observed my pose. He gave me a curt nod of approval. "That's perfect." He smiled at me then got to work.

"Why are you using me to pose, huh?" I asked him without turning my head to face him. I had to remain still for this. "Partially because a friend asked me to and partially because I wanted to do this myself." I sighed. "Sasuke?" He nodded. Now this was going too far. "He also wanted me to instruct you to wear the dress a certain way." "How?" I asked, almost fearful of the answer. "Imma have to show a little skin? A little shoulder, perhaps?" I asked sarcastically. "More than that…" What?

Sai instructed me to let the kimono hang off of my shoulder. Just enough so that my right breast was visible. It made me nervous to be exposed in front of someone who barely showed any emotion.

I stayed like that for what seemed like an hour and watched him as he worked. He soon finished and showed me the final product. I saw a woman, laying down on her side. The right half of her chest was exposed and revealed a small, perky breast. She was cloaked in a beautiful white kimono that has the design of a scarlet phoenix trailing up the right side. She looked like a queen.

I could not bring myself to believe that the woman in the picture was the same as I. But I did see the resemblance. Maybe I was what Sasuke believed.

Sai handed me the picture and told me that I could keep it. He said it was fun to create but that I'd need it more than he would. I thanked him I changed back into my normal clothes. I should go see what Choji was up to. I haven't spoken to him.

I reached for the door but was stopped by the sound of objects falling to the ground. I turned to see Sai clutching his chest as if he was trying to ease some pain. "Sai! Are you okay?" I rushed to his side. He nodded and winced at the pain. "It just a little pain. I'm a ninja. I can take this…" I smiled at him. "You should talk to Sakura about the pain. It may be serious." I then left.

That was peculiar. Sai was having the same pains as I.

* * *

><p>I heard that Choji was in the cafeteria, eating. Not surprising.<p>

He was sitting with just his friend Shikamaru. Not an Ino in sight. I didn't feel like seeing her face. I have developed a mutual dislike for the girl without even talking to her once.

"Hey, Choji! How's it going?" I approached him from behind and propped an elbow on his head. "I could ask you the same thing!" I sat down next to him. "So how long is this trip taking, Shikamaru? You should know." he smirked at me. "Well, it should take about two weeks since the ocean currents are in our favor." TWO WEEKS! "No, no, no, no, no… No! Two weeks? Are you sure?" He nodded his head. That means that I would have to face Sasuke sooner than I had hoped.

"Why do you seem so surprised? Isn't that a good thing? The sooner we finish this the sooner we get home." I shrugged my shoulders and tried to hide the shock on my face. "No reason. I just thought that it would be longer than that." I saw Choji reach up to his chest. What the hell?

"Choji, are you alright?" Shikamaru asked. "I guess all of those steaks I ate earlier are catching up to me!" They laughed but I just stared at him. What was that all about? Me? Sai? And now Choji? Something is going on.

I stood up. "Choji! Come with me for a second, please?" He agreed. We left Shikamaru at the table as he gaped at us.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" Choji asked behind me. Both he and Sai were accompanying me to the infirmary were I was sure to find Sakura. The three of us were in need of medical attention.<p>

"To the infirmary. We need to go talk to Sakura." I answered. "So you think that the heart pains that we have are linked?" I nodded. "They have to be. Think. What is the thing that the three of us have in common? Besides the pain, that is." I stopped and turned to face him. I was simple. That mission. My first mission. "That castle from a while back. It has to be!" Choji exclaimed. "But how is that possible? If something happened to us, we would know." "That researcher! Did he use any of that uranium on you?" I asked them. They both shook their heads. No…

"But that has to be the reason. Does anyone else have any chest pains li-" I was cut off by the boat's violent rocking. "What now!" I yelled. "The ship is under attack!" Choji replied. "We need to get back to the deck!" I agreed and began to follow after them as the sped ahead.

I saw Sai drop to the ground in his spot, almost immediately after he started to run. "Sai!" I yelled. This couldn't be happening. Choji soon followed after him, falling limp like an abused ragdoll. I then felt the pain myself. It was intense. I began to see stars and I felt as if fire was scorching my very soul. Someone help… Someone stop the pain…

My knees buckled from under me and I hit the ground with a thud. I wanted someone to make it all stop. The pain weakened my very core. It was something that I would prefer mutilation over. A scream filled the hallway, an animalistic shriek. Something that you heard from beast in its final moments. I realized that it was my own.

I flopped over onto my back and writhed about. The pain was causing me to. All I could do was scream and cry. I let out another screech and watched as my vision went dark. Sasuke was the only thing I could think about. I wanted him to help me. He said that he would protect me…

"Sasuke… Where are you?" I asked before slowly falling asleep.

* * *

><p>"<em>These three piles of shit… Are you sure about them?"<em>

"_Yes… These three were the ones the King chose. He had the last bits of uranium implanted into them so that they could carry out his will."_

"_Sure he did. I just think that he was bullshitting us about that 'grand plan of devastation' he had going on. It's insane! There has never been anyone who could conquer this world, let alone destroy it!" _

"_That is why we are writing history… These three __**will **__conquer this world and the people on it. The King chose them to be his legacy and wants them to rule over these pathetic people. They may not look like it now, but these children are capable of doing tremendous damage. You just have to give them time for their hearts to harden. They will get stronger."_

"_Well, I get the girl. She looks tough. And even the skinny guy. He looks like he'll turn out to be a __**badass general**__. But the fat one… No… Just no…" _

"_He is one of the most critical parts of the plan, Macken..." _

"_Yup, yup! He is! He is the one who will pave the way for The Terror. He's the one who can do all the summoning stuffs!" _

"_Shut up, Gale! Go back to sleep!" _

"_Make me!"_

"_Both of you shut the hell up…"_

"…"

"…"

"_Sorry, Jiro…"_

"_Quiet. They're waking…"_

The voices in my head woke me from my slumber. My body ached. "Xira…" I saw a pale hand wave in front of my face. I righted myself into a sitting position and faced Sai. He was wide awake, alert. But Choji was still unconscious. He rested next to us.

"Where are we?" I asked. The room that we were in was white. White walls, floors, and ceilings. And just that. Nothing else was in the room. Just us and the walls.

"You are all in a figment of your subconscious. Think of it as dreaming. You are all just sharing that same dream." A voice spoke to us from an unknown location. Choji roused next to us and blinked the sleep away. "Guys? What happened?"

The voice continued as we all stood and frantically looked around for its location. "Don't worry. You are still on the floor of that hallway. Dreaming away... The ship was attacked by some of my consorts and your friends are going after them. They are currently unaware of your whereabouts." "What do you need from us?" Sai asked. The voice chuckled. "Oh, I need nothing from you. I am simply a messenger. My job is to inform you of your newly acquired titles."

"What do you mean? I already have a title…" I stated. "You do. But that was a title from your old world. This is a new one, and you therefore need a new title, _Destroyer._" I growled. This was too much drama to bear. "You three will serve different roles. Even though you are three totally different individuals and you barely even interact with each other, you will have to learn to trust each other. You will have no other choice." A sharp pain pricked at the outside of my right thigh. I saw that Sai and Choji received the same pain, with Sai's on his left shoulder and Choji's in the center of his chest. Brands. The designs of a snake biting its own tail. The symbol for eternity.

"Sai," he started. "Life has stripped you of most of your emotions. Your lack of feelings causes you to be an excellent mediator in arguments. You are also wise and see what others may miss. Your purpose is to be the in-between for the other two. Your new title, the Intermediary…" I saw no reaction from Sai. The voice was indeed, correct.

"Xira, you are a cold-hearted person. You open up to few people and isolate all others. Yet whenever you do forge a bond, you protect your loved ones with such determination. You have a dark personality and are very mature beyond your age though you don't act like it. You understand things like life and death more than anyone else your age. Even more than the great Naruto. The very essence of the darkness of the night runs through your veins. You are now the Malevolence." As always. I am not surprised…

"Finally, Choji… You are a kind-hearted young man who knows justice like one knows breathing. You're caring for your many friends and have such a pleasant personality that can instantly gain more. You are Xira's direct opposite. You have been blessed with the essence of light. You are the Bulk."

I glanced at Choji who was doing the same to me. I saw a look of worry in his eyes. "Does any of this by chance, have anything to do with that researcher I killed a while back?" I asked. "You killed him? You told us that the dog thing killed him!" Choji exclaimed. I held a hand out to him to silence him. "Why yes, actually. I'm glad you asked. That man was the man who chose you for this task. He was _the _King. The person whose plans you are inheriting. He is the one who wishes to dominate this world." World domination! "When your all weren't aware, you were implanted with a shot of uranium, thus marking the beginning of a metamorphosis. You three aren't even human (or darkling) anymore!" What metamorphosis? I didn't notice any changes. "So what you are telling me," Sai started. "Is that we are some mere pawns in a plot to take over our home world. We three will destroy our own home?"

The lights began to blink on and off. Our time here was running out.

"Not necessarily destroy but conquer. And you are not pawns at all! You will be the ones ruling the new world when this quest is over. You three are royalty. Better than everyone else!" "So who the hell is 'The Terror'? What does that have to do with anything?" Another voice echoed throughout the room. It was a light and bubbly male voice. "You heard that, huh? The Terror is just a monster that the Sun will use to take over the world. _He_ is the pawn that you will use!" The lights blinked even more and faint explosions could be heard. "We are almost done here!" the bubbly voice said. "No, no, no! We can't destroy our home! We can't let our friends down!" Choji said. "There will be a place for your friends in the New World…" The voice trailed off as the room went completely dark.

"What happens if we don't agree to this?" I asked. "If you fail to complete this task, you will be killed and your soul will be exiled to a void in which no one has ever managed to escape from. Don't worry, though! Death is not an obstacle at the moment. You three are temporarily immortal! All you have to worry about is if you are strong enough to acquire you right on the throne of this world…" The overly energetic voice exclaimed.

At that moment, a bright light enveloped us and the voices ceased. We woke up in the very place where we fell before. Baffled and saddened about what happened. How are we supposed to do this anyway? Taking over the world wasn't something a person suddenly decides to do overnight… It took time and hours of developing strategies.

* * *

><p>Sai, Choji and I stared at each other with confused expressions. We didn't wake from our trance until another explosion rocked the whole boat. "We need to go help the others…" Sai bluntly said. "But we need to talk about this! That can wait! They're strong enough to protect themselves!" Choji held a hand out to me. I took it and rose to my feet. "We can speak to each other about this some other time. For now, just keep quiet about it!" He gave me a reassuring smile. "We need to go help our friends!"<p>

We sprinted off in the direction of the stairs that led up to the deck. For now we just had to keep it a secret and focus on our friends. We'll figure things out later.

* * *

><p>Everyone was fine. The enemies left before anyone was seriously hurt. Hopefully no one noticed our absence during the commotion. "I'm going to ask Shikamaru about what happened." He said. I grabbed his wrist. "No!" I whispered. "If you do that, he'll know that we've been gone for the whole battle. He'll want answers! Just act like you've been here the whole time, okay?" He sullenly nodded his head. "I'm sorry, Choji. Let's think about it this way. In order to protect the ones we love, we have to keep this a secret from them." Sai showed his approval with a nod. Choji eventually gave us a dejected nod and walked in the direction of the others. "I hope that this won't be too hard for him." Sai said next to me. He stared off into the direction of team 10 where Choji happily laughed along with his friends. He had too much of a soft heart. He was so far the weakest link between the three of us.<p>

But that didn't mean that he was too weak to fulfill this task.

"He's has a strong heart, y'know… Don't count him out just yet…"

The trip went by slowly and quietly. The three of us weren't able to meet without our friends getting suspicious. We often just sent worried glances when we chanced to pass each other in the halls. We soon reached our destination and the summit went along smoothly. Things were easy. It almost seemed that nothing could go wrong… Almost…

"What is going on with you?" Sasuke caught me off guard with the question. We were resting on the bed of his dorm after a long day of training. My shower failed to rid me of the aches and pains in my body. At least the chest pain was gone.

"You've been anxious about something. I can tell. Why are you so tense?" He surveyed my face. It almost seemed like he was staring into my soul. He probably could if he wanted to. With that Sharingan he has. He has never used it around me before, though. I've never seen it in action. "Nothing. I guess that all this training you're making me go through has me all tired out…"I fiddled with a freshly sharpened kunai, turning it over and over in my hands. I wore my usual pajamas that I loved. The ones that exposed my back due to my top being a sports bra. I was weird like that, wearing sports bras to bed. I wore my hair in a low pony-tail that fell over my shoulder. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Is it about the sex thing? You don't have to do that, you know. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." I shook my head vigorously. "No, I want to do it. I really do. Besides, we made a deal and a deal is a deal." He gave a stubborn "hn" and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling with his arms folded behind his head. I sat on the edge with my back towards him.

"Are you going to tell me the truth or not? I'll make you talk either way." I spun around to face him. "You're not going to make me say anything! I said that is was nothing and we're leaving it at that!" Stop pestering me about it! You're making me guiltier…

The bed shifted due to his movement. He was now behind me with his hands planted on my hips. "What are you doing?" I asked. He didn't answer but I knew from the moment I saw the devious smirk on his face that it wasn't good. He began to tickle my sides. I bit my lip in order to keep the laughter inside. "Stop that!" He didn't. The feather-like sensation was getting more intense. Laughter seemed to erupt from my lungs and fill the room.

The tickling spree stopped after a few minutes of hysterics from me. I flopped down on my back and panted due to my exhaustion. "You're still not getting the answer…" I replied. "But you get an A for effort!" I gave him the thumbs up. He replied with another "hn". A few moments of silence passed before anything else was said. Then he asked, "What happened to you during the attack?" Holy shit. What do I say? What lie do I go with? He raised an eyebrow at me as he waited for my answer. "You don't want to tell me that either, huh?" It wasn't a question but more of a statement. I think I have finally made him angry. He stared out of the window and at the sea. Glared, actually. "I'm sorry." I said. "It's jus- Ow!" I accidentally cut myself with the kunai. Indigo fluid seeped out of my index finger. I brought the finger up to my mouth and sucked on it until the stinging stopped. Another bad habit. Afterwards I continued. It was a mystery how he could still take me seriously. "It's just that something big is happening and I don't want you to get hurt, that's all. It'll be better if no one knew about it." I sent a smile in his direction. He just stared at me with an uncertain expression. "Okay… I trust you. But whatever it is… Be careful."

* * *

><p>"Why is it that you people always eat this?" I stared at the buffet table. Rice, a wide variety of fish and beef, different vegetable types. All of which I had no interest in. My brother often fed me pasta, my favorite being ravioli. "What do you mean?" Choji asked. He seemed to be having a good time. "You don't eat things like this at home?" He selected a steak from the table. "Well, in some parts of my planet people eat stuff like this. But where I come from we eat pasta all the time. It's really good. You should try some." I smiled at him. A long moment of silence passed by. He was emptily staring at his plate. He seemed concerned about something. He spoke to me quietly. "Why us? We are the most unqualified people for this job. Why did they choose us?" He gripped his plate forcefully. I feared that he would break it. "Why not someone like Naruto? Or Sasuke? They're perfect for something like this…" I thumped him in the forehead when he turned to face me. "Shut up!" I said. Some heads turned in our direction. I tried lowering my voice. "That is something that we <em>cannot change<em>! _We _have been branded with the mark. _We _were the ones chose for this task. Don't forget it. Stop doubting yourself so much." He shook his head. "It's not that easy, Xira… You haven't lived here your whole life but I have! It's not even your own planet! I can't destroy my home!" I sighed. "We aren't destroying it, Choji… We are simply taking it over." I observed his sullen expression. "Okay. Think about it this way. I was told that what the people in this world truly yearn for is peace between the nations, correct?" he nodded. "Think about it! If the three of us were to rise to power, we could make that happen! We can make this a peaceful world! And we won't even have to truly rule it. We could appoint people to become the nations' rulers. Like Naruto! We can make him the Hokage and he'll do the rest!" He gave me a weak smile. "I guess…"

We separated and sat at different tables. He sat with Shikamaru and Ino and I sat alone. I noticed that Ino was sending flirty looks in Sasuke's direction. They were making me uncomfortable.

I concentrated on eating while Hinata slipped into a seat next to me. She was wearing her normal outfit. "Do you see them?" She whispered. I laughed. It was a bad habit of mine. Laughing when I was frustrated. My brother told me that it was how I kept myself calm. Sometimes you have to laugh to keep yourself from crying. "How could I _not _see them? They're not even making an effort to hide it…" What the hell? I just finished talking to you and now you're flirting with another girl. I guess that Sasuke was done with me. I couldn't give him what he wanted so he moved on to the next victim.

I saw her press her two index fingers together. She was nervous about something. This was new. She was never nervous around me. "X-xira?" I let out a questioning "hm". "Well, I just wanted to ask. But… Well… You have been such a good friend to me so far. I mean… Kiba and Shino are my friends but they're boys. You're different…" I raised my eyebrows. "I just wanted to ask… Can you be my friend? My best friend, that is?" I nearly choked on the glass of water that I was drinking. I couldn't do anything but laugh. She turned bright red. "I'm sorry! I sound stupid, don't I?" I shook my head. "No, it's not that. I just thought that we were already friends! I already think of you as the only person I can truly talk to!" Her expression changed. She was serious now. "What about Sasuke?" I looked over in his direction. He was sitting with his friends, Naruto, Sai, and Sakura. They were laughing at a joke that Naruto had just made. Sasuke was laughing, too. But he would occasionally slip a glance in Ino's direction. I gripped my glass with a force that could cripple an elephant. It splintered into shards in my hand, causing it to bleed.

"Xira!" Hinata grabbed a napkin and tended to my wound. All attention in the room was focused on me. "Yo!" I lifted my good hand up as I addressed the entire room. "Just a minor mishap! Don't mind us!" The people around us uneasily went back to their former conversations. Sasuke met my gaze. Bastard… You disgust me… Only assholes lead girls on like that.

* * *

><p>"Promise me that you will never do that again!" Hinata scolded me. She was startled by my "minor mishap". "I'm sorry. I was just being angry. I just…" We were in our usual spot. The edge of the boat. "You need facts before you accuse! Just give him a chance… I'm sure that it was all just a misunderstanding." I was having doubts about that. "You two go well together. He's quiet all the time and you always speak your mind. That's a good combination." I smiled. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better." I said. I hoped that she was right. But something was keeping me from fully believing her. This sort of thing has happened so often to people I know that I didn't know what to believe.<p>

"That's what friends are for…" She replied. This was the part where we would laugh and joke with each other. That wasn't going to happen.

"Xira!" Sasuke called for me. I turned and saw him emerging from below the deck. "Can I talk to you?" I glared at him but followed his lead to the other side of the boat while waving goodbye to my friend. Why is it that he always disrupted my time with Hinata?

"What is your problem? You haven't been yourself lately. You won't tell me what's going on and now you're having random freakouts. What's going on with you?" I glared at him. He had no right to be asking me this. "What's going on with_ me? _What's going on with _you_?" He gave me a baffled expression. "What the hell are you talking about? Why are you turning this on me?" I banged my fist on the railing of the boat and lashed out at him. I was getting angry. "Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think that I didn't see you! You and Ino were ogling each other all throughout lunch! If you're tired of me just say it! I'll leave, you ass! And don't try to talk your way out of this either!" I spun on my heels and headed for my dorm. "Xira! Wai-" "NO! Don't say another word! I'm through with you! I'm not getting hurt because of you! I just can't." I walked away again. "I don't know how much more I can take…"

I climbed down the stairs. People often say to never look back on things like this. I did. And I wasn't being followed. Guess I was right. Mom was right.

* * *

><p>That night, Hinata came to my room. She tried to cheer me up, patting me on the back and reassuring me that things will look up. Of course it changed nothing. I just held back the tears until she left and cried myself to sleep that night.<p>

* * *

><p>Daybreak fell and I was in a horrible condition. My back ached from the sleepless night and my eyes were bright red. My chest began to ache again and my stomach grumbled. Time for food…<p>

* * *

><p>There was one room in the ship that I missed. A large room that displayed all of the things that lit up the night sky. Planets, stars, comets, etc. The sun itself stood on a large pole. The pole then branched out into nine others. One for each of the planets. It was beautiful.<p>

I approached the contraption to pull the large lever that rested at the bottom. It had the symbol of a smiling sun on it. I pulled it backwards and the whole display began to move. The planets orbited around the sun. "Wow…" I said, too amazed to say anything else. We didn't have anything like this on Ateria…

"That's cool! How did you make it move like that?" Someone entered the room while I wasn't paying attention. A boy, taller than I, with a bowl haircut and wearing a green jumpsuit with a darker green vest. His eyebrows were strangely bushy. "I couldn't get that thing to move at all! How did you do it?" He asked me. "I just pulled the lever. It was kinda obvious…" He looked in the direction I pointed. He smiled uneasily and scratched the back of his neck. "Wow. Guess I need to look harder next time." He held a hand out to me. "You must be Xira, right?" I nodded as I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you! I'm Rock Lee!" He gave me a "nice guy" pose. "I am the 'Handsome Devil of the Hidden Leaf'!" I laughed. This guy was hilarious. His smile left him. "What's so funny?" he asked. "You are the only guy so far I have met who can wear a jumpsuit with pride like that! It's funny!" His expression held defeat. "No! I mean that in a good way. I actually respect that you can do that. So you're the taijutsu specialist, huh? That suit must be helpful when you fight." He nodded and smiled. "Yes, it is quite useful." He held a fist up and had a fiery look in his eyes. "I need it on my quest to become a great ninja! I have to prove that I can be just as good as the others with only taijutsu!" "Why not the other forms of jutsu? Why don't you use those?" He shook his head and lowered his hand. "I have no skills when it comes to ninjutsu or genjutsu. When my teacher, Might Guy, began to teach me, I barely had any talent with taijutsu itself." "So that must mean you got so good with taijutsu just from sheer effort, huh?" He nodded. "That's amazing…"

Lee and I talked for a long time in the observatory. We took a seat on some benches and exchanged training secrets. He was so energetic and optimistic. When talking to him, you had be so yourself. He made me laugh constantly. I forgot about Sasuke completely.

"Do you think you could train me once we get back to the village? Taijutsu is a field I should work on." I asked. He nodded vigorously but was stopped short. His hand flew up to his chest and he grimaced from pain. No…

"Are you okay? Do I need to call for help?" Not you too, Lee… "No. I can handle this. I've survived so much up until now. A little heart pain won't stop me." I smiled at him. The heart pain couldn't but the meaning behind it could. "Is everything alright?" He asked. "You don't have to worry! Really! I'm fine!" I rose from my spot on the bench. "If your heart trouble continues, you should tell someone. There might be a serious problem. More serious than you think… Promise me that you'll tell someone." He rose up to meet me. "I will. I promise." I turned and began to walk away. I was heading for my room. "But before you leave, can you tell me one thing?" I stopped to listen to his question. "I'm listening…" I heard him exhale. This question for some reason was hard for him to ask. "What is your title?" My head snapped up from shock. They've already spoken to him? "I'm the Malevolence… And you?" I turned to face him. "The Haste." I worriedly smiled at him. "I'm sorry that you have to carry this burden with us…" Why was this happening? Who else will be dragged into this with us? "This is nothing that you should be apologizing for. It's not your fault." He walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. He held a serious expression on his face. "You feel it too? The pain?" I nodded. "I think that this is our time of departure. You should say your goodbyes now." I held my head down sullenly. I knew that what he was telling me was true. I should have noticed it sooner. "Will it be just us or the other two also?" He shook his head. "Just us. For some reason we have to leave earlier."

He headed out of the room as I stood there. Confused. Lost. "Wait!" I yelled. He stopped as I met him out of the hall. "When did they implant the uranium? How?" He gave me a sullen gaze. "A year ago. During a mission. A man with a weird iron glove on tried to impale Neji with it but I jumped in between them to stop the blow. They originally tried to get Neji but got me instead." Neji? The guy with the hair? He slightly intimidated me. He was sending me furtive glances all throughout breakfast. Did he know about this?

"I think he likes you somewhat. He's always looking at you." Lee added. With that he was gone.

* * *

><p>I tried to spend time with my only friends. Hinata, Sai and Choji. I laughed with Hinata for a long time. I think that she caught the hint that something was about to happen. So did Choji and Sai. They looked at me with sad smiles. Sasuke didn't try to talk to me and I didn't try for him. It was over. I didn't see him at all actually. I asked Naruto about his whereabouts. He said that his friend was sulking. That's fine. Let him sulk…<p>

* * *

><p>I met Lee after dark on the ship's deck. It was well past midnight. "We're leaving aren't we?" I asked. He nodded. "Where are we going?" I afraid to hear the answer. "I don't know. To another world, I guess?" He held a hand out for me. To take. I did and he swept me up in his arms, bridal style. "How are we going to get there?" He smiled down at me, who was blushing like mad. I wasn't comfortable being in someone's arms like this. He smiled at me. This time it was a reassuring one. "I've been practicing with my new abilities. They come in handy for things like this." A door behind us closed. His comrades, Neji and Tenten, emerged from below and were now looking at us with disbelief in their eyes. "What the hell?" Neji exclaimed. "Time to go!" Lee said. His smile betrayed feelings of regret. I could see it.<p>

Lee began to run. He jumped off of the ship and onto the water, using the ninja ability to run on it. He accelerated to unbelievable speed. Unnatural for a normal ninja. "Is this your ability!" I had to yell in order to be heard over the rushing wind. "Yes! But this isn't all! I can run so fast that I can break the sound barrier! I've been working on trying to take it up a step! To ripple the fabric of space! So far I've been able to only make it between this world and the next!" Duh! The Haste. Now it made sense! His speed exceeded that of a normal ninja's. He could do things that no man could ever hope to do with speed. This ability was perfect for a taijutsu user.

A deafening roar sounded around us. That must have been him breaking the sound barrier. We only had a little further to go. We would soon be in another universe.

The wind rushing by was deafening. We spoke no more. I just closed my eyes and trusted that he could do this. I thought about Sasuke. Having second thoughts about my behavior towards him. I should have given him a chance to speak. But about what? There was no other explanation for his actions. What else could he say? "I was staring at her because she had something on her face." What the hell?

A blinding light rushed over us. We were now surrounded by trees. A jungle of some sort. He slowed his pace. Eventually he came to a halt and let me down. I gazed at his hair. It was windswept. He looked like he held his head directly in front of a giant fan. "Nice hair…" I laughed. He smiled. "You too!" I took a survey of the area surrounding us. A jungle. A dense one at that. The trees were a beautiful yet peculiar turquoise. The sky was a soft lavender. There was life everywhere. Strange creatures I have never seen before. A gigantic plant sprouted from the ground and shined a bright orange. It withdrew back into the ground whenever I tried touching it.

"This place is beautiful…" I breathed. It was breathtaking. I was thankful that Lee brought me here. "It is isn't it?" I female voice echoed throughout the forest. "Who's there?" I asked. "You see that tree? The large blue one?" We both looked ahead. A large cerulean oak stood higher than the rest. "Meet me behind that tree." We both headed for the oak and peeked around it. A lake, the water being a pale orange color, was kept hidden by the tree. It teemed with life. Frog-like creatures hopped about. Beetles and bugs flew around, some being as big as my own head. In the center of the lake was a large boulder. On top of it, a woman.

We stared at her with disbelief. The woman! She glowed! Her skin was like pure light itself. It radiated a bright orange that put the lake to shame. Her hair, the same color as her skin, flowed about as if it was submerged in water. Her eyes were like empty sockets of light and her smile sent a wave of something like hope through me. "Welcome Haste and Malevolence!" We stiffened at the use of our title names. "Take a seat behind you. You will be here for a while." We each obeyed and took a seat. Lee took a stump of a blue oak. I sat atop an old bolder. "I am the Radiance. As you see, I am nothing but the essence of my former self. Why do you think that is?" Lee spoke. "Did you die?" The question sent shivers up my spine. "Yes. I did. I failed my objective. I am a victim of a failed period. I and twelve others were assigned to conquer our world. We failed miserably and are destined to remain here for a millennia." I looked around. "What is here?" I asked. "This is called Mid-Terre. The Median. It is a world where the laws of nature don't apply. Things are insane here." We see that… "We were destined to remain here until the victims of the next periods eventually succeed. After that, we'll be able to truly rest." What a grim fate. "Why is that? Why must you stay here? Is it a punishment?" I asked. She folded her hands into her lap. "Somewhat, yes. We were told that this was the penalty for our failure. But it is actually a way for us to mentor the next players of this dreadful game. To teach them all we know. I am your tutor…"Lee stood on his feet. "How long will we be here?" He clenched his fists. He was in pain. He already missed his friends. "You will have exactly a year to master these techniques. 365 days from now, you will be different people. You will be stronger mentally, physically, and emotionally. After that you will be sent home to achieve your goal."

She began to fade away. "You should go get situated with your new home." She was gone with that. I gave Lee a sorrowful look. I saw that he had tears forming in his eyes. I felt my own begin to form. I held a hand out. He took it and in grief-stricken silence, we walked aimlessly through the forest. Through a place that we would never be able to call home…


	6. Chapter 6

Months of strenuous training can make someone stronger. Months of being constantly hunted like animals can do both that and harden one's soul. Lee and I barely survived the eleven and a half months on Mid-Terre. But with his speed and power and my brains and magic, we made it through. We lived. And we were powerful… Power beyond that of any demon. If we were to return home now, we were doomed to be found out and eventually sealed away like the nine tailed beast. But we had to. We had a task to complete.

We went through a complete metamorphosis. Lee's hair had grown out. It was shoulder length and flipped up in the back. He wore a jumpsuit, but this one was white. It had the pattern of a phoenix on it, like the kimono I wore when posing for Sai's picture. Over that, he wore a long scarlet cloak that was severely ripped on the edges. I told him several times to not wear it when he ran but he never listened. He also had new shoes. Some made out of a special metal that didn't conduct heat. When Lee ran, he wouldn't have to worry about destroying his shoes in the process.

I, on the other hand, wore a kimono that was almost an exact duplicate of the one I wore for the picture. The only difference was that it had a long scarlet sash that tied around my waist. My hair didn't grow much, but my eyes were different. The sclera, the white part of my eye, was also orange. A lighter shade though. They gave me a sickly appearance. Eventually, they would be the same tone as the iris of my eye. I was getting older. Soon I'd be sixteen.

I wonder how our friends will react to our change…

* * *

><p>"Let's go!" Lee took the position of a sprinter about to start a race and waited for the okay from me. "This is our last test run before we have to go! Don't mess this up!" We stood in the middle of a prairie. The sky was darkening and peculiar blue-colored grass was beginning to glow. It always did so when night fell. This was a safe zone. Any predators would be seen if they tried to sneak up on us.<p>

"Three!" I raised my hand in the air and stood in front of him. "Two!" I readied the stopwatch I held in my hand. Today we were attempting to travel at the speed of light at a faster rate than the last time we attempted this. "One!" I let my hand drop and he sped off. Faster than a bullet. I didn't even see him pass me.

A few seconds later, as he was approaching the mountains on the horizon, a booming roar sounded. I stopped the timer. Thirty-two seconds. A new record.

He was at my side in a few mere seconds. "What's my record?" He was as eager as ever to see it. I showed him the timer. "Yes!" He fist-pumped the air and jumped up and down. "Can we try one more time? I can beat that! One more time!" I shook my head and laughed at his determination. "You know the rule. We have to go before the wildlife wakens." I placed a hand on his shoulder. "But you've improved a lot since we first arrived here. You are amazingly strong…" He placed his own hand on top of mine. "Okay! But when we get home I want to race!" I nodded and laughed as we started our way to our domain. Teleportation was one of my new abilities. I could move from one place to another in a flash. It still wasn't enough to beat Lee, though. He was that fast.

We headed in the direction of our camp. Tomorrow would be the day. We would be returning to Konoha…

* * *

><p>"You two are exceptionally strong. So far the most talented duo I have ever mentored." This must've been our graduation speech from The Radiance. She beamed at us with pride. I felt that there was nothing to be proud of. She raised two monsters. Demons…<p>

"You have granted yourselves the right to be named the Slayer and the Haste. I am honored to be the one who taught you. I hope everything goes your way."

She lifted up a hand and a huge portal opened beside her. We were one step away from home. "Go and fulfill your task. I'm depending on you two. I can't afford to remain here for another millennia. Oh, and look out. There will be others like you."

Sasuke must be over me by now. Probably forgot about me and started going out with Ino. They did go well together. She was a Libra, too.

We entered the portal and watched as it closed behind us. We traveled through the long hallway that served as the gate between Mid-Terre and our world. It had no definite end or beginning. It was just a vast expanse. No walls, no floor, nothing. All that could be seen was a pale blue light from all sides. The only reason why we weren't lost was because I held Lee's hand as he led. He had complete knowledge of these gateways. It came to him naturally.

I squeezed his hand with uncertainty. Our friends would most likely try to stop us. We would have no other option but to kill them, since they cannot kill us. They would never be able to stop us. I had a feeling that Lee understood how I felt and clutched my hand tightly. He had become my best friend over the past year. I trusted him more than anyone else. And he trusted me…

"This is it." He stopped in front of a tiny rip that seemed to float in mid-air. He reached inside of it and pulled it apart with his two hands. It was then as wide as a normal doorway. He stepped aside and let me through first. He was a true gentleman. I thanked him and stepped through. I was then in the forest the rested on the borders of the village. The sky was ominous and dark. I looked back at Lee who was hesitating. Like he needed more time before he left the "safe zone". After this, we would be in constant danger. He took a deep breath and gave me a thumbs up. "Alright! Konoha, here we come!" That's my boy. I smiled at him as he followed me through the gate. It shrunk until it was completely gone.

"So, you understand what needs to be done?" I asked. He nodded. His optimism disappeared. We came up with this plan long before we came. We would warn the villagers first, causing them to evacuate and remove all civilians. There would be nothing but ninjas left. Then we would have to fight.

"Yes. But who do we tell first?" I rested on a nearby tree. "Let's take advantage of this situation. I'm going to go see Sasuke one last time before the fighting begins." He nodded. "That's a good idea. I think I'll do the same. I'll go visit Neji and Tenten." He said. "What about Guy?" I asked. He turned and began to walk in the direction of the village. "I don't think I can do that. There is only so much that I can take." I watched him leave in silence. He has changed so much. He is not the same Lee that he was in the observatory a year ago.

I used my teleportation ability to get to my apartment. I stripped out of my kimono and headed for the bathroom. One last shower before things got ugly. I wasn't doing it for cleanliness. Showers tended to calm me down.

After my shower, I changed back into my kimono. I then stood in the center of the living room. I braced myself and counted to three. On three I teleported to Sasuke's room next door.

Pitch black darkness surrounded me. I was in his bedroom. The window was open to let a cool, crisp breeze flow throughout the room. Sasuke slept soundly in his bed, on his back with an arm covering his face and one leg propped up. I smiled at him. He seemed so vulnerable now. I walked over to his side and stared down at his face. His porcelain features seemed heavenly in the light of the moon. His pale skin looked smooth and his hair, despite the fact that he was sleeping, still looked neat. His breaths, slow and soft, were the only things that could be heard. I reached out and put a hand to his cheek. What the hell was I thinking? I couldn't let him go. He was the only person who related to me. He truly understood me. He never questioned my actions and he supported me with everything I did. When we went on missions together, he didn't try to defend me because he never doubted me. When I would cry in front of him, he wouldn't look at me with pity but would treat me as an equal. I loved him… I loved him so much…

A pale hand grabbed my wrist forcefully and a kunai was at my throat in seconds. Sasuke had managed to slip behind me and hold me captive. "You leave for a whole year and now you suddenly waltz in here? Do expect me to let you walk out of here without an explanation!" He whispered in my ear. Once again, I forgot that I was dealing with a former S-rank criminal… "I'm sorry." I murmured. He released me and turned me around to face him. He greeted me with a surprisingly gentle kiss and hugged me. "I missed you…" He murmured. Tears began to form in my eyes. Since when did I cry so much? I guess love did that to you…

I looked up into his eyes. He returned my gaze. "Your eyes are different. What happened?" I laughed. "It's something that comes with age. As I get older, the white of my eyes will start to change into the color of my iris. It's a darkling thing." He smiled at me. Not a smirk but a true, genuine smile. "I'm sorry for everything. I was wrong. I know that it will take a while for me to gain back your trust. Will you forgive me?" I nodded my head. "I'm sorry for being an ass. I should have let you explain. I'm so glad that you didn't forget about me. I've been thinking about you nonstop for the past year." He released me from his embrace and held my hand. He led me to his bed so that we could take a seat. "Where have you been?" he asked me. I no longer saw a reason to hide the facts from him. I told him the long tale of the four of us, Choji, Sai, Lee and I, and the task that we have been given. What we have been doing in the past year. The things we saw and learned. That there is a chance that there are others like us.

"You have to get everyone out of here now… Evacuate while you can." I said solemnly. "So you're trying to conquer the world, huh?" He smirked. He stood and removed his shirt. On the left half of his chest was a fairly large insignia. The same one I had on my thigh. "When!" I asked. "Just a few months ago. All I was told was that I am needed for the greater good. I was never told the objective though." "What's your title?" I asked. "The Justice. It doesn't fit… What's your title?" "The Malevolence…" I stood and gently placed a hand on the mark. I kissed it. It was time for me to finally give him what I promised. "Sasuke…" I said. My voice was as soft as a feather. "Take me…" He ran a hand through my hair. "Are you sure you want to? This can happen after the apocalypse…" he joked. I shook my head. "I want it now…" A hand went down to my own and grasped it firmly. "No…" I snatched it away from him while staring at him in shock. "What! Isn't this what you wanted?" I grit my teeth together. Why was he being so difficult? "Yes. I do actually. But not under these circumstances…"

I turned and walked away from him. He was right. I didn't want to do it either. Not like this. But if we didn't do this now, we will never be able to again.

I turned and readied myself to teleport to the village gates were Lee and I would meet. "I love you, you know." I heard Sasuke say. "I love you, too." I turned and smiled at him. "I wish that we could've met under different conditions. I wish that this didn't have to end so sadly." He reached out and grabbed my hand and let it go as he saw that the time had come for me to leave. I quickly teleported to the front gates.

* * *

><p>"Lee! Stop crying!" I said to the sobbing boy. "We have work to do. We need to give these people a reason to evacuate." He followed my lead and placed his hands on the ground. The idea was to summon "The Terror". Not to attack but to scare away anyone who thinks they should stay behind.<p>

I began to murmur the spell under my breath. It was a long one, but it came to me naturally. After a few minutes, I was halfway through the incantation, when a sharp pain erupted in my back. I cried out and fell forward. I saw my indigo blood form a pool around me. Someone stabbed me from behind…

Given my situation, I was only able to see the culprit's feet. Sandals, pale feet, baggy pants. Sasuke…

Sasuke killed me… I was going to be sent to the other side by the person I truly loved…

I didn't have enough time to see what he did to Lee. A bright light enveloped me before he got to him.

The light blinded me. It prevented me from seeing anything else. I was truly dying and the only thing I could think was "Damn… Should have seen that coming…"

* * *

><p>"Go away!" I heard a voice yell into my ear. It was the one of my friend, Zane. "I'll wake her up. You can just go wait downstairs!"<p>

I felt a hand shake me and jerk me from my slumber. "What!" I yelled. The shock from what just happened was making me jittery. Shouldn't I be dead? "You were having a nightmare. Someone had to wake you up…" Nightmare? So everything was all just a dream?

My eyes grew wide and tears began to form… "Xira?" I heard a voice call me from the hall. I turned and saw my mother there next to a retreating Rex, looking at me with soft, worried eyes. Her short hair stopped right below her jawline and her eyes, the same as my own, seemed to have bags under them. She rushed over to the bedside, falling to her knees so that she could look me in the eye, and held my hand. "Are you okay? You were screaming all night." I shook my head. "I am not alright! I had a freaking dream about bringing Armageddon to another planet… Tell me, what is that supposed to mean?" she smiled at me, though I saw nothing to be happy about. "I knew that you'd say that…" What? Zane and I looked at her dumbly. What on Ateria was this lady talking about? She giggled. "Silly girl! You will be traveling to that planet soon! Not to destroy it though…" I gripped my blanket and looked at her with a bloodthirsty expression. I wish that she would start telling me these things. She threw her hands up. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier! These things you need to experience without preparation."

She rose to her feet and faced me. "That was just mental preparation. That world is a cruel one and you needed foresight on what it will be like. But that, I must add, wasn't even a fraction of what it will be like. The people you met are different and the things you learned will be more complex. Your job is to go there and gather all the info you can on it." I saw Zane's jaw drop along with my own. He looked at me with an uneasy look on his face. "No! I can't do that! I've met people. Gained friends and everything! And now you expect me to sell out their home to a malicious government? I think not!" These feelings are not something a person can just throw away. My mother frowned at me. "Xira. You must understand that those people are nothing like the people in your dream." I glared at her with an unflagging anger. "Fine. I figured you'd be this way." She began to walk out of the room. "If that's the case another will be sent in your place. We figured that this program wouldn't work out so well. The hearts of humans and darklings are too alike." She left the room.

I gave Zane a despairing look. "What do I do? I can't let them do this! I have friends there!" I gripped the blanket even tighter. "Xira…" Zane started. "You heard her. The people you met may not even be the same. They might be totally different. Not even _your _friends anymore." I shook my head. He was right. Zane has always been honest with me. But this time I couldn't accept it. "No… I have to stop this… How can I get there without Mom noticing?"

* * *

><p>A few days later, after being swarmed by friends and showered with hugs (I must've been out for a while), Zane took me to an old friend of his. One that specialized in the summoning arts. He had no name but he was kind. An old man with gray hair. He seemed about sixty. He lived in an old shack that lay in the outskirts of the town, in the midst of the forest.<p>

He explained to me something called the Reverse Summon. It worked just like a summon, the only difference being that it took you to a new location. It was basically teleporting with a fancy name.

I gathered up my supplies. My two favorite swords. Curved bladed and bejeweled with mystical gems. Their shared name, Divina. A backpack filled with extra clothes, a first aid kit that I found in my Mom's room, (there was truly no way my mother could be in the dark about this. She'll eventually find out about this.) an old spell book, and three cans of ravioli. I couldn't last another day without the stuff.

The old man prepared the runes required for the Reverse Summon as I stood ready in the center of his front yard, it being swarmed by flowers and vegetation. He must've had a knack for gardening.

Zane looked at me pleadingly. "Xira, please don't do this." I ignored his pleas. "Zane. I have to… I know I'm being selfish, but there are people on that planet that I need to protect…" He sighed. My dear best friend, I am so sorry that I am leaving you. "Why can't you focus on one thing for once! We have our own problems too, y'know! We are the Knights! We are going to have to kill each other if we don't think of something! That hasn't changed!" I smiled at him. "Then I guess I'll be killing two birds with one stone." "There's no other way, huh?" It was my mother. She had found us.

"Xira. I cannot allow you to do this. You know the consequences of going against the will of the Council. That planet is doomed and there is nothing you can do to stop it." She lifted a hand in the air. What was she planning?

"You are my daughter… I can't allow any harm to come to you." A blue light pulsed from her palm and was heading straight for me.

I was thrown back by her power. The Mana from her hand surrounded my face, my forehead specifically. She was trying to brainwash me…

I endured a long mental struggle with her. Trying to break free of her hold on my mind was difficult but I had the upper hand. I've been through this for years now, and was nearly used to it. But I was also not immune.

I clutched my head and yelled out in order to break her concentration. She faltered and gave me enough time to give the final okay to the old man. He nodded and set the runes ablaze.

* * *

><p>"Hey! Heeeeey! You must've hit you head pretty hard…" I lay flat on my back on a hard surface. The aroma of the ocean hit my nose. I heard gulls calling and the splashing of waves on the shore. I was on a beach.<p>

I opened my eyes and squinted against the harsh sunlight. A man, with dark blue hair and a pale, blue-grey skin color to match, was hovering above me, gently patting my face in an attempt to wake me up. This man, he had sharp teeth and small, white eyes that had black facial markings under them that resembled gills. His black, sleeveless shirt exposed the gills that rested on his shoulders. He smiled at me once I woke. "You're finally awake, eh?" I shifted to a sitting position. "Who the hell are you?" I asked him. He looked like a weird shark-man hybrid. "My name is Kisame Hoshigaki. And are you, by any chance, Xira Merid?" I frowned at him. "How do you know my name?" He chuckled at me. "You really are her… You look exactly like Ceres…" He held a hand out and caressed my cheek. I slapped the blue hand away swiftly. "I see. You don't like to be touched by someone like me. I understand." I sighed. "Things would be easier if you told me who you are." He stood and I followed. "I should explain everything to you. You don't remember anything…"

Kisame walked along with me on the beach and told me the whole story. I endured special training that required me to go to sleep and travel to a replica of the world that I was ordered to study. I carried out the recon mission successfully and acquired a lot of info, but was affected emotionally by the trip. I had fallen in love with someone named Sasuke Uchiha. When I awoke, I refused to take part in the overthrowing of the world and vowed to save it. I took part in something called the Reverse Summoning and was sent here. But not without my mother objecting. She attempted to brainwash me but instead, ended up wiping my memory.

"How do you know all this?" I asked him. "She told me to tell you all of this. Ceres." I stopped in my tracks. This made no sense. "Then why did she try to stop me? What's wrong with that crazy broad?" Kisame shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe it's one of those _darkling things_?" He used his fingers as air quotes.

I continued to follow the man. "So your goal is to find the other spy? How do you suppose we do this?" I kicked a rock out of my path. "_We? _What? Who said you could be a part of this?" He stopped and grabbed my arm, forcing me to look him in the eye. "You owe me. If I didn't wake you up back there, you would have been discovered by someone unpleasant." I looked at him dumbly. He shrugged. "More unpleasant, that is…"

I jerked away from his hold and continued to walk. "I intend to gather information. I have no idea who they sent as my replacement… But I do know that it will be someone stronger than me. It would be stupid of them if they sent someone I could beat easily." The search might be easier than it sounds. Just asking for someone who resembles a darkling. That wouldn't be difficult at all.

Kisame spoke to me from behind. "Do you even know why you are doing this?" I glared at him fiercely and began to come up with a snappy retort but was stopped short. I didn't know why. All I knew was that there was something worth protecting here. I tried to remember everything that happened in my training dream. Nothing… Mother had successfully wiped the memories of it from my brain.

The shark man sighed and took the lead. "Before you can do anything, you need the proper training." He rubbed the back of his neck with an exasperated look. "I don't usually train kids like you but this is a favor from a friend." I waved him away. "No. I don't need your help. I can do this on my own." He grabbed me with rough hands once again. This time he gripped my arm so tightly that I winced from the pain. His other free hand grabbed my chin and forced me to look up at him. "You will let me train you. You're just a girl… You can't do this alone…" He let go of my face, leaving it sore. I looked at the ground, unable to focus on his face. He was right. I couldn't survive alone. I forgot everything that was learned in the training exercise.

"Fine, fish-man…" His mouth twisted into a toothy grin. I sulked. "Such an unlovable face. You should smile every now and then. You may even seem cute if you did." He chuckled. "Old man! I'm warning you!" I heard his stomach growl. "Hah! I guess you're hungry? Pathetic!" He placed a hand over his abdomen. "I think that it's time for food. Want to grab something to eat?" he asked. I crossed my arms and leaned on my right leg. "If you're paying…"

We entered a local bar in a nearby village. It seemed that under-aged kids in a bar were normal things to see. No one seemed to care. Where I came from, you wouldn't even be let in if you looked too young.

We both sat at the bar, side by side. He ordered us both a glass of something called "sake".

"What is this?" I asked. "Trying to get me drunk, I see. You pervert." I glared at him but still took a sip of the stuff. I nearly gagged on it. The bitterest taste filled my mouth and choked me. Liquor was something that I would never be able to stomach. "Lousy kid. Can't even hold down a drink." He snickered. I rolled my eyes and set the drink down on the table. "So..." I started. "Do you mind telling me what it is that you plan on teaching me?" He pointed to the massive sword that he carried on his back. It was much taller than I and was wrapped in some kind of bandaging. "I heard that you were skilled in swordsmanship. I thought that I should teach you how to use swords like these despite your size." He took a long sip from his glass. "I'll also teach you some hand-to-hand combat skills. You can't rely on your weird magic forever."

Some women walked behind us, laughing and joking. Kisame nearly broke his neck trying to catch a look at them. He stood and began to walk to the other side of the vicinity, which was basically a nightclub. "I'll meet you at the nearest inn by midnight. We'll stay there for the night and travel east starting tomorrow morning." He left to go sweet talk some girls. I cursed him inwardly and hoped that it would be only him at the inn when I got there.

An hour later, I was on my third glass of sake. Now used to it, I was able to stomach and even enjoy it. Even so… I was heavily intoxicated. I remembered one day when I was ten, I got drunk off of straight orange juice. Yes. It can happen.

Beside me, a man sat down next to me. He ordered some sake and sipped it as soon as he got it. I studied his features. His pale face holding a sullen expression. His onyx eyes stared emptily into his glass and his lips, which looked incredibly soft, twisted into a small frown. His brows creased as he continued to gingerly sip his sake. He eventually noticed my gaze and scowled at me. "It is impolite to stare…" he bluntly stated. I ignored his annoyance. "You look sad. Are you sad?" I was out of it. The alcohol had robbed me of my reasoning. The man shook his head as a dismissal of my question. His spiky, short, black hair swished about. It looked soft also. "No. You look sad. Don't ignore me! Tell me who did this!" He held a baffled expression on his face as he stared at me then the bartender, as if asking him, "What is this chick's problem?"

I brought my fist down on the table, making the glasses on it jump and the man's attention snap back to me. My head tilted to the side as I began to lose my balance. "Point the bastard out to me! I'll beat him up for making you sad! You're too good-looking to be sad!" He smiled and shook his head. A small laugh escaped his pale lips. "Why come to a bar when you can barely take a few glasses of sake without getting drunk?" I pointed a crooked finger at him. "Look! I came here because I was being treated to dinner by my asshole of a teacher! He left me though... It's not surprising that he'd rather chase skirts than sit with a flat chested, moody bitch like me. I don't understand what he sees in those chicks anyway!" I grabbed my small breast and started juggling them in a mocking way. "At least mine are genuine, class-A boobs. Those chicks are so fake. Theirs don't even jiggle! Quality over quantity, my friend! I know someone likes it!" I heard a snort come from the man beside me. He seemed to be trying to hold the laughter back. "What? You think otherwise? Whatever then! You're missing out!" He shook his head and replied, "No. I think you're right. It's just that… You are very funny. Are you this funny when you aren't shit-faced?" I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know! What do I look like? A fucking comedian?" The man called to the bartender and ordered two more drinks. One for him and one for me. "What is your name?" He asked me while sipping on his next drink. I shook my head vigorously. "Nope! If you really want to know that, you have to earn it!" he smiled at me once more. It sent shivers up my spine. He looked ten times more charming when he was in a good mood. "Then let me introduce myself. I'm Sa-" I held my hands up and cut him off. "No! No, no, no! I want to earn that myself! It wouldn't be fun if I didn't!"

I set my head down on the bar to ease my rising headache. I was starting to feel sleepy. "If you see my master, tell him that I'm tired of waiting for his sharky ass! I'm going to sleep…" I was out in a matter of seconds.

* * *

><p>"Xira! Xira, hey! We need to get out of here! You can't sleep here!" I was awoken by rough hand shaking me fervently. I slapped the hand away as I rose from my seat. I staggered a few steps and fell into my master's arms. "Why the hell is the room spinning?" I asked him. He swooped me up and exited the bar. I threw an arm over my face as he carried me bridal style, trying to hide my face from the lights that illuminated the streets. "This will be a rule from now on. No more drinking for you, kid." I snorted my disapproval. "You're the one who took me there in the first place. Plus, you should have never left me alone, you perverted lecherous skirt-chaser." He laughed at me. "I wasn't the one juggling my boobs at people." I lifted my arm to reveal a single eye and upraised eyebrow. "What?" He nodded at me. "You were into a really involved conversation with some guy at the bar. I don't know who he was though. Couldn't see his face." He entered a building that had a huge illuminated, green sign on it. I read the characters of the language that it displayed. It was an inn.<p>

He went up to the front desk and signed us up for a room. _A _room…

"How many beds are in the rooms here?" I asked. "One." He simply said. I shook my head as he climbed some stairs. On his shoulder I saw that he was carrying my bag. I was glad that he didn't forget it. He entered the room and headed for the bed to place me down on it. I slipped out of his arms and stood on the other side of the room. I crossed my arms and glared at him. "We are not sleeping in the same bed!" I exclaimed. He plopped down on it and kicked his sandals off. "Fine." He shrugged. "I'm not going to argue." He sprawled across the bed and closed his eyes. "Ew! Did you even take a shower yet?" He shifted to his side and said, "No. I'll take it in the morning. There is a hot spring here." I sat in a chair by the window and surveyed the street, watching some stray party-goers stagger by. My headache was beginning to get the best of me. I look at the empty spot on the bed. It was tempting but I was stubborn.

I eventually gave up and kicked my own shoes off. I slipped out of my baggy jeans in order to be more comfortable and took my spot next to Kisame on the bed. "If you even dare to breathe my air then we will have major problems. Got it?" I heard a snore come from the opposite side of the bed.

I didn't bother to slip under the covers. I was asleep before I could even do that.

* * *

><p>I had a weird dream that night. I was being slapped constantly by a childhood enemy. Ilana Xenis. I was lying in the middle of a field, more awake than I would ever be, but she came along and began to slap me repeatedly. She yelled at me to wake up and that something big was coming. That I would have to leave soon so I could live. I tried to tell her that I was awake and cursed at her for being so stupid. A huge shadow then blocked out the sun and left everything in darkness. I woke up after that.<p>

I saw Kisame preparing to leave the room. "Where are you going?" I asked. "To the baths. I told you that I'd be going there in the morning. Do you want to come?" he asked. I slipped my jeans back on followed by my shoes. "How many baths are there?" he held a finger up. One. "It's unisex! No! Absolutely no way! I'll go later." He shook his head in disapproval. "We're leaving after this. You should go now or you won't be able to bathe for the next few miles." I sighed and followed him out of the room without another word.

The bathing area was an outdoor one. Walls surrounded and enclosed it. Large rocks stood in random places. People rested on them. So many people. There were only twelve other people in the large room, but I felt as if there were over a hundred. I pulled the towel wrapped around my body closer. I felt that eyes were all over me. That people were staring. Kisame pointed to a spot in the large bathing area. It was by a large rock, separating it from the rest of the room. I followed his lead and walked along the edges of the water. I looked away as Kisame sunk down in the water, removing his towel. I followed his lead while awkwardly removing my towel and covering areas with my hands so that they wouldn't be seen. I sunk down in the water and mentally congratulated myself. Now the next challenge, getting out.

I noticed a group of men on the far side of the springs. On the right side of us, so they were able to see through the gap between the rocks. They smirked and gazed at me, making me very uncomfortable. I heard them laugh and make lewd comments. I looked down into the water and tried to ignore the idiots. "Xira." Kisame said. My head snapped up to look at him. He waded over to my spot. "You take my spot." He glared at the group of men, making them go quiet. I did what he suggested and smiled. This was very thoughtful of him. "Thank you." I said, my voice as quiet as a mouse's. I sat in his former spot and kept my head lowered. This was still embarrassing. I rarely let my own mother see me naked, let alone a stranger.

"You're really shy when it comes to things like this, huh?" He asked. I nodded. "I had a friend like you. He was really shy when it came to this, too. I knew even if he didn't say it."

I began to think about Kisame's actions up until now. Back at home, I was studying the astrological signs and how they influenced people. I was taking a guess that Kisame was a Pisces.

"Master?" I asked. He looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Master? Does this mean you are willing to let me teach you?" I rolled my eyes and nodded. "When is your birthday?" He smiled a toothy grin. "March 18." He stated. I was right. Somewhat selfless, easygoing, carefree. I was spot on.

"When is yours?" He asked. "October 14." He smiled. "Libra, eh?" I looked at him dumbfounded. "You know the star signs?" I asked. He nodded. "Yes. And I also saw your tattoo…" Oh, that…

I gazed at the gills that sat on his shoulders. "So, what's up with the shark look? Are you even human?" I asked. He let out a massive chorus of laughter and smiled at me. "Yes, I am. I'm one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist. The Monster of the Hidden Mist Village. I was also a member of an organization called the Akatsuki." I looked at him in wonder. "Wow. That's two titles. You must be pretty strong." I must've been underestimating his strength. "I have a title, too." I said. "I know that is nothing compared to your own though." I mocked flattery. "Back where I come from, I'm called Xira the Destroyer." He scoffed at my claim. "Don't give me any of that crap. Ceres told me everything. That's the name you were given for that stupid prophecy thing. You have yet to live up to it though." I gaped at him. "Whatever! I'm proud of my title. No matter what you say!" Later I should ask him about the deal with my mother. How did he know her anyway?

* * *

><p>We left the village after our bath. He stated that we were heading east. We were going through the Land of Fire, seeing as we were in the Land of Wind. We were going to the Hidden Leaf Village. He said that he knew a place to get me a good sword. We would then travel past that to an isolated location where he can train me.<p>

We walked along a dirt path surrounded by a lush, green forest for five whole hours. But we never noticed that it was that long. We talked the whole time. Making jokes. Watching the people we passed and making mean comments (that was mostly me).

I saw a pole ahead of us. It stood above the trees and reached toward the sky. I saw a paper stapled to it. It was colorful and festive looking. I ran ahead to observe it. It advertised a competition. A tournament that tested fighting and ninja skills. I pointed to it and motioned my teacher over to it. "Can we do this?" I asked. It would be good if I could observe the fighting skills needed to survive in this world. "Sure." He said. "Konoha is hosting it, I assume?" I nodded. "It's a month from now. I'll have enough time to train, right?" He nodded. "You will. But you should remember that you are already strong enough to participate. You may come out on top. All we have to do is make you a full-fledged ninja and sign you up."

I smiled. "I'll kick everyone's butt in that competition! What kind of sword are you going to get me?" He hesitated and looked me over. "Can I use yours? What's it called anyway?" He shook his head. "This is called _Samehada. _You can't handle anything like this." He pointed to his own sword. "You're too small. You'll need something smaller. Easier to manage." I grimaced. "You must enjoy pointing out my flaws, huh?" He shrugged. "It's good to say it as honestly as possible!" He walked over to me and lifted one of my arms up. "You're short and flexible. How about twin swords? One to hold in each hand?" I shook my head with vigor. "Yes! That would be awesome! I could use my swords with my martial arts."

We entered a large clearing. "We're about to cross the border..." Kisame said. He had a look of longing on his face. "My friend, he lives in this land now. I haven't seen him in two years. I was hoping to see him while passing through." He continued to walk as I followed.

He was quiet for the next few minutes. Very out of character for him. I longed to get him back to his happy and cheerful side. "Sooo? Are you ticklish?" I asked. He stopped in his tracks without looking back at me. Was the question that stupid?

"Why the hell would you ask a thirty year-old man if he is ticklish or not?" He looked at me with a baffled expression. I shrugged my shoulders. "I was taking a class on the star signs back at home since they have a great influence on magic. They say that Pisces' are ticklish on their feet. I just wanted to know if it was true…" He chortled at my question. "I don't know how to answer your question. It's not often that anyone tickles a blue man's feet!" I shrugged once again and laughed with him. This man was already growing on me.

* * *

><p>We crossed the border with ease. Kisame stated that a time of peace was passing and the security was more lenient than it used to be. We stopped at a large lake that was home to a large waterfall. Its roar was a beautiful song to my ears. Waterfalls were like wonderful memories to me. My mother would take me to a waterfall and teach me all the magic she knew. Then we would finish the long day of training with a relaxing soak in the cavern behind the waterfall, which contained a hot spring. "Can we stop here for the night? It's the perfect place to sleep." Kisame agreed. "Yes. I can teach you a few things while we're here."<p>

We set up camp. I prepared a fire as he caught some fish in the lake (I was looking forward to him doing some weird shark trick but instead, he just used a rod made from a large stick). When I was done, I walked over to him and sat at his side. "Whatcha gonna teach me?" I asked in a sing-song voice. "You are aware of the energy that ninja used in this world, right?" I nodded. That I remembered. "Chakra, right? The blue stuff? I don't have any though…" He nodded. "You don't. But you do have something called Mana. I can teach you how to use that instead of chakra. Your mana network is almost completely identical to that of a normal ninja's chakra network. If you can learn how to use it like chakra, than you will always have an advantage in battle where chakra would've been a disadvantage." He rose from his spot and helped me up on my own feet. "I assume that you understand how to control your mana flow." I nodded. I learned that from my mother when I was ten. "I will teach you how to create a water clone." I stared out onto the lake's surface. So that's what he was planning on doing. "I need to possess a certain chakra nature in order to do that, right? How will I be able to do that?" Kisame shook his head. "Your mana doesn't have a specific nature. You can use any technique from any element. Water, fire, earth, wind, or lightning. That's the advantage of your mana." "What's the disadvantage?" I asked. "If you happen to be caught in a genjutsu, you're done for. You'll be impossible to wake." "Why's that?" He sighed. "When trapped in a genjutsu, you could be awakened by a comrade by them forcing some of their own chakra into you. But you don't have that. If they even try to do that, their chakra would rupture your whole mana network. That's the main disadvantage. Your whole mana network is very fragile." I nodded. "Then I will work hard to improve that!" He smiled. A large, rough hand came down upon my head and ruffled my hair. "Such determination! It makes up for the unlovable face." I threw my hands up in a desperate attempt to stop him. "Stop it!"

He obeyed my request and ordered me to stand at attention and formed a few swift hand signs. A mysterious form began to rise out of the water. I watched as it molded into a new shape. It eventually turned into an exact copy of Kisame. Every feature was identical. "Pretty cool, huh?" The two Kisames said simultaneously. I nodded, dumbfounded with awe. "I really want to do that…" I said. He chuckled and released the jutsu. The clone dissipated into a puddle of water. "And imagine being able to make up to a hundred clones. It depends on your mana control." I bounced up and down on the balls of my feet. "Teach me! Teach me! Teach me!" I reiterated the sentence over and over again until he interrupted me with a laugh. "You are very eager to learn. You may be my best student yet." I stopped my fidgeting and crossed my arms. "I'm probably your only student." I stated. "You are…" He suddenly grabbed my chin and held my head up. He was studying my face for some reason. "Your teeth are very sharp. Is that a darkling thing?" I nodded. "A darkling's teeth are always this sharp. It's one of the things that distinguish us from the humans. That, the tail, the horns, and our odd colored blood…" "What color is your blood?" He asked. "Indigo. Like the night sky." I smiled through his grasp. "We're not all that different. We're both weird looking…"He loosened his grasp on my face and let his hand fall to his side. I stepped back and prepared myself for the technique.

I widened my stance and formed the hand signs that he did only moments before. I then concentrated on my mana flow. I exhaled deeply and drew in another breath. Kisame sighed and took a seat. He then grabbed a few kunai from his pouch and began to polish them. "This is going to take a while." He muttered. "Shut up!" I retorted. "Don't underestimate me!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a mound of water rise from the lake. It then began to form a shape. It was an exact replica in a matter of moments. "Hah! Take that old man!" Said me and my clone at the same time. He raised an eyebrow and answered without taking his eyes off the kunai, "Great! Now multiply that by a hundred…" I let my arms fall and the clone dissipate. A heavy sigh left my mouth. This was going to be a long day.

I never left that spot. I concentrated on my mana in that one spot for five whole hours. I raised the number of clones I could create to ten. Kisame said that I was making exceptional progress. I was actually feeling good for a moment. Until he stated that we would do this again tomorrow until I could finally make fifty clones at a time. He said that he believed that I could do it. I told him that believing is sometimes not enough.

When we finished, I let my gaze wander to the waterfall. Maybe it had a cave and hot spring behind it…

I walked over to it as Kisame finished polishing his tools. He didn't say a word. He must have just dismissed my strange behavior as a child's curiosity.

I peeked behind the waterfall and saw a cave that contained a beautiful hot spring. I nearly squeed from excitement. The water was clear and steam rose from it. The cave was dark but the remnants of light from the sunset were enough to illuminate the cave. I yelled back to Kisame and let him know that I was taking a bath and wasn't to be disturbed.

I slunk into the water and sighed beatifically. Warm water on sore muscles felt amazing.

I took this time to sort out any possibilities for my replacement spy. Maybe it was Ilana. Hopefully. I swore that I would kill the bitch next time we met. I would never forgive her for what she did to Bennett and Nero. Maybe the No-Name guy. A cold-hearted, bloodthirsty ninja who wore a demon mask to hide his face. All that could be seen were his eyes. He was scary. Even I had doubts about taking him down.

I finished my bath and dressed myself. An hour has passed since I started. I wondered if Kisame was still polishing his tools.

I neared the spot where I started the fire and saw that Kisame was fast asleep. I also noticed that his sword, Samehada, was lying right next to him. Maybe I could prove him wrong. I'm stronger than I look.

I gripped the hilt of the great sword. It ended with a small skull on the edge. Heavy… I swung it as if swinging a baseball bat. Hitting a homerun. I then got more serious and imagined myself cutting someone in half. It was extremely heavy but not too heavy that I couldn't use it. I once swung it so hard that I spun on my heels in a full circle.

My shenanigans occupied all of my attention. So occupied that I didn't notice the ever growing smirk on my master's sleeping face…

A sharp pain pierced my hand and I dropped the sword. I fell to the ground with a thundering thud and sent dirt flying. I had indigo blood seeping out of multiple cuts on my hands. Deep cuts…

I looked at the sword's hilt. Shark scales, sharp, jagged shark scales that could easily shred flesh, were jutting out of it. Some kind of defense mechanism?

"Heh, heh! That's what you get for snooping around! Do you find my sword handy?" He rose from his spot and lifted the heavy sword with ease. His rough hands swiftly removed the bandaging and revealed a sword completely crafted from shark scales. "This sword is mine, Xira. When I said that you couldn't handle it, I meant it…" I growled and rolled my eyes. I can do whatever the hell I want.

Kisame shrugged his shoulders and said, "Fine. Try to wield it again. I won't stop you." I stomped my foot and glared at him. "You knew that this would happen! Why didn't you warn me earlier!" He smirked and laughed. "At first I thought that you wouldn't be able to even lift it. I guess I underestimated you." He set the sword back in its original spot and turned once again in my direction. "Are you going to sulk or are you going to sleep?" I flipped him off despite of the wounds on my hands and stuck my tongue out in protest. Little did I notice his swift change of emotions and that he was walking towards me. He gripped my upper arm painfully causing me to cry out in pain. I was forcefully thrown to the ground in the spot where he formerly slept. "Sleep." He said simply. He stared me down with such a glare that dared me to make a muscle. The authority in his eyes glued me to the spot where I lay. I grimaced and glared at his retreating back as he took a seat next to me. He grabbed his tools and began to polish them. "Aren't you going to sleep, too?" I asked. The venom in my voice was still present. Kisame shook his head. "You don't quite grasp your situation yet, huh?" I would narrow my eyes even more if it was possible. "You've agreed to be the student of a man who is one of the most wanted in this area. There is a heavy bounty on my head in the Bingo Book and almost every bounty hunter looking for a quick buck is after me. Do you still want to be my apprentice?" My mood lightened at the word "apprentice". He already considered me his genuine student. I smiled. "Yes. If you are that strong, then yes, I do want to be your student. Plus, I don't think that I can find anyone else capable of putting up with my personality." I shifted positions until I eventually got comfortable in my spot. "Wake me up when you're ready to go to sleep." I told him. My eyelids grew heavy and I eventually fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"South, huh?" I held Kisame's hand in my own as I examined it. We were heading farther east towards the Hidden Leaf Village down a wide, dirt road. For the competition I was to partake in. He told me of the friend that he fought along with in the Akatsuki as we walked. He also told me of the rings they wore. For some reason, he wore a yellow ring with the character for south on it.<p>

"What happened to the Akatsuki? Why aren't you with them anymore?" His chest rose and fell as he let out a deep sigh. "They all died. Killed off by other ninja who opposed our plan. There were only a few left." I let my head tilt to the side. "_Were_?" He nodded. "Were… They may have been resurrected during that time." "What time?" I asked. "A few months ago, there was a frightening event. After the Fourth Shinobi World War. All of the recently deceased were mysteriously revived. I plan to get to the bottom of that." I nodded my head. "No doubt that's the work of Helia. I think that's the thing that sleeps in the center of this world. My mom told me that every planet has one of those." Kisame nodded with approval. "There are at least three former Akatsuki members in the Hidden Leaf. Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha's elder brother, Kakuzu, and Hidan. Itachi has been under watch of the Hidden Leaf ever since the incident, but I doubt that he has a problem with that. He'll be happy as long as he is with his brother again." Itachi Uchiha. I've heard that name somewhere. I remember some guys saying it in a bar that we stopped in. I couldn't hear what about him they were discussing, though. "What about the other two?" I asked. Kakuzu is probably there, too. Don't know why, though. Hidan? He's been buried alive for the past few years. He killed someone dear to a boy named Shikamaru Nara. The boy got his revenge and buried him alive since there was no other way to kill him. Hidan is immortal. I think that he's still do there even now…" I stopped in mid-stride. "So what? They're just going to leave him down there?" Kisame nodded. "Until he eventually dies of dehydration. He's immortal yet he can still die that way." I shook my head. That was a horrible fate. "We can't leave him down there. No telling how much longer he'll be alive. He may be suffering for another fifty years for all we know!" I exploded. My master threw his hands up and took a few steps backwards. "Why are you getting so angry about it? It doesn't concern you." I stomped my feet at him. "No! It's not fair! Why is everyone else granted amnesty but not him! We have to dig him up!" I turned and began to walk at a faster pace. Kisame facepalmed and continued after me.

"Xira, you will _not_ dig that guy up. He's insane! He both a masochist and a sadist! He follows a religion that encourages killing people for pleasure! He has killed numerous amounts of people!" I shook my head. "But no one deserves a fate like that, no matter how many people they kill." He grabbed my arm in a chastising way. I guess this was his way of disciplining me. It worked. "You will not dig him up. Don't you wish to compete in the tournament? You will not be able to do that if you are caught. If they see your face, they'll come after you." I hesitated and then came to a conclusion. "I'll wear a mask!" he slapped the back of my head and repeated himself. "You will not dig him up." I sighed. I'll still dig him up. This just meant that I'd have to keep my master in the dark about it.

* * *

><p>Now closer to the village, we took a break. Another clearing provided an excellent place to sleep for us. My master retired early. I guess that the fuss I made tired him.<p>

I began to think about Hidan. The agony he must've been through for the past few years. The painful silence and loneliness. No doubt that he was insane by now. I wondered what he was like. Would he be even more murderous than he was before? Would he be like his former self? Maybe the loneliness has drained him of all feeling that he had left. I wanted to save him. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. The guilt would be too much.

I ascended from my sleeping spot and headed for the forest. I had to go relieve myself.

I passed several trees. I tried not to go too far. I still needed to find my way back after this. I took out a kunai knife and marked the bark of each tree I passed.

I quickly did my business and headed back to our campsite. Maybe I should have told Master where I was going.

I heard a disturbance in the brush to my right. I was being watched. Not good, given the fact that I wore only a tank top and some underwear. Not smart, but it seemed so at the time. The temperature rose overnight and I couldn't sleep.

I saw a figure appear in front of me. Two more on my left and right. Men. Each with a headband on presenting a leaf-like symbol. One in his mid-twenties with short, shoulder-length brown hair. The other two seemed the same age. One with messy, short, and black hair and the other with sandy brown hair that fell above his chin. The leader with the long hair had a long scar covering half of his face. He smirked at me. "After a long, disappointing mission, this is exactly what I need. A cute, little, brown piglet that doesn't know how to dress properly. Maybe we should help her out, huh?" He asked his comrades. They chuckled and lurched in my direction, going for my limbs so that they could pin me down.

Struggling and thrashing about, I resisted the brutes' strength, but they still managed to get me on the ground. They took my kunai, the only thing I had for protection, and grabbed something from a bag that the short haired guy carried with him. The sandy-haired one clamped a hand over my mouth and tried to quiet me, but I bit him instead. "Hit her with that tranquilizer. It should manage to deplete whatever chakra- or whatever she has flowing through her veins- she has left." I stared at him dumbly. "I have no idea what you are, but you should know that a shinobi can sense another's chakra. Whatever you use as energy is nothing like it." I felt a sharp pain in my thigh. A needle. I felt all of the Mana in my body fade away. My muscles grew weak and I fell limply on the ground. I tried to scream at the top of my lungs to alert my teacher. To tell him that something was incredibly wrong here. But a firm hand clasped over my mouth.

I began to hyperventilate. I was so weak and vulnerable. Like that one day when my brother and I were fighting each other. I was six and he was thirteen. I made him angry because I took the last can of ravioli. My mom had to pry him off of me. But this time it was different. It was real. Dangerous…

The leader of the group kneeled by me. Near my feet. He leered over me with a twisted expression on his face. Action needed to be taken now.

I summoned whatever energy I had left and let my bare foot thrust out in his direction, hitting him in the gut. He buckled over and held his stomach with a pained expression on his face. Serves him right. I drove my elbow in to the short-haired guys gut and fought my way out of the other's grip. I was soon on my feet and running.

I quickly approached the clearing where I saw my master walking towards me worriedly. "Where have you been? I was about to come after you…" I didn't answer. My lungs needed air. I gasped and wheezed while he followed my quick glances and stared off into the distance where I had just retreated from. He grabbed my arm and forcefully pulled me behind him, now facing three other shinobi. The ones who just assaulted me. They braced their selves for battle as my master did the same. "Xira…" He started. My eyes never left those of the leader. They were now filled with venom. Hatred for the man who had nearly pushed me to the point of crying. A mere man almost took _me _down just now. This scum almost took _my _virginity a few moments ago.

Kisame followed my gaze to the leader's face. His small, predatory eyes seemed to seethe with disgust for a moment. The intensity of his stare made me cringe.

He unraveled his sword, revealing several vibrating shark scales. It seemed to respond to his touch. The three men began to throw their hands up retreat. "You're Kisame Hoshigaki, aren't you! We apologize for this misunderstanding!" Kisame never moved a muscle. "Misunderstanding?" He said, his voice like acid. "It doesn't look like a misunderstanding to me… It almost looks like you three were trying to take advantage of a fifteen year-old girl." All of the color left that of the leader's face. "You scum tried to rape my student…" He swiftly swung the Samehada towards the sandy-haired guy. His whole head was sent flying to the other edge of the clearing. My eyes followed the severed head then swiveled back to the still standing body.

The second man was dead in a matter of seconds. He was mutilated and crushed entirely by the large sword. When Kisame was done with him, one wouldn't be able to tell that it was originally a human being. All that was left was the leader. Kisame raised his large sword and prepared to perform the final blow. "Stop." I growled. I ran to his side and stopped him from letting the sword fall. "Let me guess. You want this one all to yourself?" I nodded but never took my eyes off of the man. He fell on his butt in terror, his face blanched white.

Kisame passed me the Samehada and slowly let it fall in my hands. It was lighter than last time. All of my training was paying off. I was stronger and could make more clones now and knew many new jutsus.

I basically maimed the man with my sword, yelling out all my frustrations as I did it. The sword didn't reject me once. It didn't stab me with its scales. I guess it accepted me now. Maybe it liked the taste of my Mana. I brought the sword against the scum's side, crushing the entire left side of his ribcage and several other precious, necessary organs.

After a few moments of violent cursing and maiming, I dropped the sword and stared at the body. The remains of the man were a gory mess. One couldn't even tell that it was formerly a human being. Internal organs, ripped inside-out, and broken bones, all lost in a flurry of blood, was all that was left.

Kisame broke the eerie silence. "What the hell were you doing anyway? You could've gotten killed." I hung my head down. Something wasn't right. "Why? You actually care about what happens to me now?" He closed the distance between us and placed a hand on my forehead. "Are you alright? You look sick." I smacked his hand away from my face. "No. It's not that…" I hesitated and thought about my next choice of words. "I feel horrible. Guilty, almost." He frowned at me. "This is your first time killing someone, huh? That's understandable. Guilt usually is the first thing that comes with killing. You begin to think about the person. If he had family, goals, dreams. You don't think about those things when you're angry. The only thing on your mind is revenge." I shook my head. "You're right. But… That's not why I am so upset. I'm guilty because I don't feel _anything. _Some remorse would be actually comforting right now." I held my hands up in front of me and stared at them blankly. Scars were present. Not because of the sword rejecting me. Because of how tightly I held the hilt.

I blinked my eyes and tried to push away my startled feelings. "Can we get some sleep? I'm tired…" I walked over to the area where we first slept as he just stared at my back. "You are just amazing sometimes." He said with exasperation in his voice. "You're comfortable with sleeping this close to a dead body?" He asked. I shrugged at the question. "I don't see anything wrong with it. Unless you believe in ghosts and shit like that…" He pressed a palm to his forehead and slunk down in his spot next to me. "Good night…" He murmured. "Hey. We still heading for Konoha in the morning?" I saw him nod as I lie in the grass next to him. "Are you worried about me? You shouldn't be. I've always been this messed up on the inside." I heard him grunt and smiled to myself. I silently sent a prayer to the heavens above and hoped that my master wouldn't abandon me. I didn't want to lose him. Kinda getting used to him altogether.

* * *

><p>So close, yet so far away. We we're in the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf. An area owned by a clan named Nara. This is where Hidan was buried. He was close and I felt it. A strange, hateful presence fell over me. Kisame could feel it, too. My guess was that it was Hidan's hatred for the man who buried him here. The person who dealt the verdict of solitude. Who sent him to rot away alone for months, years even.<p>

"Make this quick. I'll stand guard and warn you if someone's coming. I'm not helping you and I will leave you if something happens. I have enough people after my head already…" Reasonable. I would've done the same.

Kisame fled quickly as I got to work.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus my mind. Trying to sniff out the main source of the depressing Chakra. _Hidan… Speak to me. I'm here to help you… _I thought.

A man's voice answered my call. A soft, defeated voice. Depressing. Crying, almost…

_Why? Why would you help me? You don't even know me… Who the hell are you?_

I followed the voice as I continued to soothe it.

_I'm just a girl… Xira Merid. _

_How exactly are you going to help me? You can't do this alone. There are ninjas all over the place. They wouldn't let you get within two feet of me._

_If that was so, how would I've been able to talk to you? I'm standing right above you as I speak. _

_Damn. I guess they've forgotten about me. I must not be a threat to them anymore. A fitting end for a person like me._

_What do you mean by that? Could you elaborate?_

_I am a horrible person. Rude, loud, obnoxious, evil, selfish, sadistic. All of those things. I followed a religion called "Jashinism" and believed that it was a good excuse to kill people. Men, women, children. I killed them all. In my religion, anything other than the utter destruction of everything around me was a sin…_

_At least you had a legitimate reason behind it. That was something you believed and you followed it. I've known people who would kill for their own personal gain. You did it to please your god…_

_You're not disgusted? You're not going to change your mind?_

_No. Why would I? I respect your religion. It gives you a reason to live, does it not? You strive for life in order to please your god. Why would I object to that? Anything that does that cannot truly be all that bad._

_You are the strangest chick I have ever met. How old are you? Fourteen? _

_No. Fifteen. I'll be sixteen in October…_

I was now at the site. I clutched the needle and thread that Kisame gave me close to me chest. Now all there was to do was remove the dirt.

I focused my Mana on the ground and tried to uproot the trees that grew above Hidan's burial place. In one swift movement, dirt was flying up and out of the way. Leaving me with a perfect hole in the ground.

I hopped in it and looked around for Hidan. I spotted a bony leg under a few rocks and debris. An arm on my right and a small skeletal torso to the left. Just as Kisame predicted. He was quite literally blown to pieces. I sat and gathered the body parts and got to work on reassembling them. I sewed feet to legs, legs to his torso, arms to the torso. All that was left was the head. I gently set the body on the ground. Its frail build was light enough for me to lift up and down. That was mostly caused by the lack of food and nutrition.

I stood and began to turn over rocks. "Hidan…" I spoke quietly. "Can you hear me? Can you speak?" A long silence answered my plea. As I thought. He was too weak.

I flipped the last remaining boulder. I saw the head. His head. Hollow cheeks and dull eyes. They looked as if they were formerly a violet color. Now the life has escaped them, giving Hidan a ghostly appearance. His hair was a snowy white. Brittle and pale.

I slowly lifted the head up and returned to my spot next to the body. I grabbed the needle and thread and sewed the neck onto the shoulders. Now he was whole but not completely healed. His life force was nearly gone. Chakra completely drained. I needed to bring it all back to him. Maybe I could somehow transfer my Mana into his body, then this wouldn't be a problem. But it was due to the fact that I may damage his very Chakra network if I do so. But then I remembered something my master told me about Senjutsu. That if one could remain completely still, one could harmonize with nature and use its chakra. It was a risky technique and it may not even work for me given the fact that I have no Chakra whatsoever. What I could do was manipulate it with my Mana and funnel it into Hidan's body, thus sparking life into him. I just prayed that it'd work that way. There were only a few selected people who could use this technique. Those who used summoning toads. Kisame explained to me that there may have been an exception for me. I'm not completely human.

I crossed my legs and held a hand over the body. Then, I waited. Completely still. To harmonize with nature, one should do so. I called the chakra with my own Mana. Beckoning for it to come forth and heal this man.

I waited and waited. Hours passed and it seemed that the sun was growing closer and closer to the middle of the sky. Someone was bound to find us. That would be trouble.

I eventually gave up and tried other solutions. I remembered the spell book that I packed for this journey and pulled it out. A simple healing spell may do the trick. I looked it up and whispered the incantation. My Mana, an indigo mass of shadow erupting from my hand, pulsated. It thumped along to the beat of my heart. More evidence that stressed the point that Mana was an extension of one's body.

A marvelous transformation took place. Hidan's body slowly regained its life. The color returned to his face. The light to his eyes. The hair on his head regained its color (which was a silver color) and his muscles seemed to rebuild themselves. He was soon as healthy as ever.

He bolted upright. The light in his eyes never faltered for a moment. He smiled brightly and beamed at me. A bright smile for a handsome man. It warmed my heart to see him happy. I waited for him to speak.

He suddenly captured me in a forceful embrace. He didn't say a word to me. Not a single "thank you". But then again, I didn't need one. His newly found happiness was enough for me.

I returned the heartfelt hug. I felt something wet on my shoulder. A tear.

"Thank you." He finally said. He let me go and sat there, cross-legged. His fuchsia-colored eyes turned up towards the sky. I stared up with him. "I feel as if you've reached some kind of epiphany. What are you going to do now?" I asked. He shook his head. "I dunno… What do you think I should do? I can't forgive Jashin for what he put me through. I was his most loyal follower, yet he didn't help me at all. Left me down in this hole to die. To wither away like some decaying flower…" I placed a hand on his. "Hidan, most of the Akatsuki members have been given a second chance. They're living under surveillance in the Leaf village. Maybe you should follow them." He looked at me solemnly. "Do you know if Kakuzu is there? That guy… I may have not been able to admit it back then, but he was like my best friend. No matter how much we fought… That money-grubbing bastard had better be alive." I smiled and stood. Footsteps could be heard. Running out of time.

I offered him a hand. "We don't have much time… Your answer?" He took my hand and stood. "I'll stay. Try to do some good before I die for real. I don't want to go to Hell." I smiled at him. "You won't. If you genuinely feel remorse for what you did and seek forgiveness, you won't go to Hell." He hugged me again and we both heaved ourselves out of the hole. The sounds of shouting grew closer and closer. "I hope we meet in the future. You seem like a cool chick. We could get along." I playfully punched him in the shoulder. "There is a tournament that Konoha is hosting. I'll be in it! If you can, then meet me there and cheer me on!" I gave him the thumbs up and struck a "nice guy" pose. He mimicked my movements. "I will!" he said. I waved to him and quickly ran away. I stole a glance behind me and saw that he was completely surrounded. He threw his hands up to show that he meant no harm. That he was willing to be imprisoned. To repent for his sins…


	7. Chapter 7

My name was now Chinatsu Hamasaki. The first name, Kisame explained, meant "a thousand summers". The last one he never explained because he left to go sign my entry papers. How he planned on doing that without being caught, I had no idea…

The past few weeks passed by slowly. I spent the whole time training with my master. I surpassed the expectations that my master had. I could produce well over fifty water clones without the help of any nearby water sources. He stated that I was truly gifted with the water techniques.

* * *

><p>We stood in front of a large building surrounded by a forest of green. It was enormous. There were a large variety of people participating. From all over, Kisame explained. The guys were intimidating and the girls looked as if they were constantly in PMS mode. Like they were all going to bite each other's head off.<p>

A guy bumped into my shoulder, completely ignoring my presence. Short auburn hair, a scar that ran up his cheek, green eyes. I yelled at him. "Hey! I was walking here, you pathetic waste of space!" I growled. He turned on his heels as if he were prepared to respond and looked me over with a satisfied grin on his face. Pervert.

"You sure you want to confront me with an outfit like that." His eyes raked over my body. It was hot today so I wore something light. Too light that is. A black bikini that tied in the center of my chest paired up with some khaki shorts. At least they came down to my knees. It was all completed with a pair of black, standard, shinobi sandals. But I never thought that it was bad since I barely had any curves. I was like a pole. When I asked my master he simply stated that I underestimated my body and overestimated a guy's taste in girls… I returned his remark by calling him a jerk.

The guy smirked at me and closed the distance in between us. I raised my fist and prepared to strike. "Keep it up and I may have to pun-" I punched him in the jaw sending him flying across the yard. Past at least twenty other people and into a tree. Over fifty heads turned in my direction but I didn't care. The guy had it coming. He was way too close.

"Yo! That was our friend you just knocked out!" A group of guys encircled me. How? How did I get in this mess already?

One of the guys pounced in my direction. I dodged his attack and stepped to the side. He was now behind me. I lifted my elbow and brought it down hard against his back, sending him to the ground with a thud. The next guy ran towards me, but I stopped him with a fist to the gut. The third guy thought he could be smart and try to use the first two as decoys to occupy all of my attention so he could follow up their attacks with his own. His strategy didn't fool me though. I didn't forget about him. I brought my foot back as far as I could and when he was close enough, I brought it up and kicked him between the legs, ridding him of his ability to have children.

His hands immediately went to that place as he fell forward, crying like a newborn baby. The crowd formed a circle around us and stared in awe. "Oh my gosh. She just took four of those guys down within a minute." One person said. I brought my hand up and pinched the bridge of my nose. "If these people are simply amazed by little stuff like that, I should probably take my business elsewhere. I'd probably mutilate someone." I murmured under my breath.

I sighed and pushed my way past the crowd as they tried to help the four guys out. That's when I heard a familiar voice.

"NOW YOU LISTEN HERE, BITCH! I SAID I WAS SORRY FOR EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST! BUT NOW, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY _NO_ REASON TO BITCH AND MOAN ABOUT IT! IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE SO SHUT THE FUCK UP!" It was Hidan. And he was _pissed._

I planned on pouncing on him from behind. This would most likely piss him off even more but we would laugh it off afterwards. Hopefully…

He continued to yell at some guy with a spiky ponytail that sat high upon his head. He look angry and was about to lose his own sanity along with Hidan. Beside the silver-haired man was a taller, dark-skinned man that had long dark brown hair and a black mask that concealed his face. He wore regular navy blue, shinobi pants along with a black shirt that matched his mask. It was sleeveless and hugged his body tightly.

I took a few steps back to allow myself to have a proper running start. I then sprinted and jumped. Landing on Hidan's back, I covered his eyes with my hands. He stumbled around and cursed at me. "Who the hell is this!" He yelled. I told him to take a guess. A smile crept across his face as he tried to jerk me off of his back.

"Hidan! What the hell…" His friend slapped his forehead with his palm and walked away while the pineapple-haired guy, along with a few others, stared with disbelief. I dismounted Hidan's back and joked with him. He beamed at me. "What's up, you!" He smiled. "I told you that I'd be here! Did you ever find your friend?" He nodded. "He's the tall, dark dude who just walked away." "I told you that you'd find him!" I directed my attention in the direction of the spiky haired guy. He was talking to a group of people. Not without stealing glances at us. "What was the deal with that?" I nodded in the guy's direction. "It's a loooong story." He said. I crossed my arms and tilted my head to the side, so that my ear would be pointed in his direction. "I'm listening."

He explained to me his story. That boy was the person who had buried him underground for all of those years. But not without a reason. While on a mission for the Akatsuki, Hidan confronted the boy's teacher and killed him. The boy was just simply taking his revenge when he buried the immortal. Hidan stated that he didn't blame him at all for what he did. But now that he was back, all the boy could do was complain about the fact that Hidan was out of his prison. Hidan stated that griping babies pissed him off.

I patted Hidan's shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it. There's nothing he can do now. Do ya think you want to introduce me to your friend?" He nodded and grabbed me by the hand and led me through the crowd and into the building.

"Kakuzu! Wait up! I know you hear me!" Hidan led me into a dark hallway. Most likely under the arena were the competition would take place. "What do you want?" He said. His voice was deep. I studied the rest of his appearance. Stitches lined his arms and he had peculiarly colored eyes. Green irises and red sclera. Even in the darkness I could see his muscled torso through his shirt. He was good looking in a weird way. My brother had a right to be worried about me and my taste in guys.

"This is Xira. The girl who saved my life. And this is Kakuzu." He introduced us. "What's up?" I greeted the man. He replied with a single grunt. I grinned. "Not that talkative, are we?" I asked. Kakuzu eyed me up and down. I tried to brush his actions aside. "What's up with the stitches?" I asked. He held up his right arm. "It's a part of a jutsu that I use." He simply stated. "What kind of jutsu?" I pried. "The Earth Grudge. It's the reason why I am 99 years old and still living as a ninja." "That's neat! Can you explain?" He stared at me with a baffled look in his eyes. "Eh. If you two are going to talk about boring stuff like this, then I'm leaving. You two can get to know each other. I'll be upstairs." He turned and walked down the hallway.

"He is truly an idiot…" Kakuzu stated. "Aww. Don't be like that. He's a trill seeker. Learning doesn't come easily to him." "No. I mean that he is truly an idiot. You should have seen his test scores for the citizenship exam. A broom could've gotten a higher grade." He turned his attention to me. His eyes rested on my face but would occasionally slip and fall down to my chest. I didn't see why though. I had no curves. My cup size could have been a negative A.

"Why did you save Hidan anyway? You risked your life for him without even knowing who he was." I shook my head and placed my hands on my hips. "I don't know. My master told me about him and I kinda felt bad for him. If I had left him there, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself." His eyes fell again to my bikini. Maybe I shouldn't have worn it. But it was just so hot…

"Why do you keep doing that?" I asked him. "What do you mean?" "You keep looking at my breasts even though they're tiny. Surely you can do better." I told him. I saw him smile underneath his mask. "Women have such low self-esteems. They underestimate their selves." I was confused. I asked him for a further explanation. He sighed. "Maybe I like small girls…" I laughed. I didn't have the right to laugh though in my situation. A 99 year old man was hitting on me. "Does that mean you're a pedophile?" I asked him. He chuckled darkly. "When you're 99 years old, you have no other choice. Everyone is a child to you." I laughed. "So you're 99, right? Does that mean that you're immortal like Hidan?" he shook his head. "No. Not necessarily. I can prolong my life but I can't live forever." "How long will you prolong your life for?" I asked. "I don't know... When I'm ready to die, I will." I studied his face. He seemed to be staring at- no, through- the wall.

"Hey!" I interrupted his pensive mood. "Don't get all gloomy on me! Come on, the games will be starting soon! You should come see me win!"

He smiled through his mask and followed me through the corridor and upstairs.

* * *

><p>I would have to wait fifteen rounds until my own match. I was to be going against someone named Ino Yamanaka. I had no idea who she was or what she look like. Not even Hidan could tell me who she was.<p>

"Now the world needs more kunoichi like her." Hidan sighed. He was referring to the woman on the floor beneath us. She was fighting another man. Kicking his butt actually but that's not what Hidan was talking about.

This woman had long, blonde hair that was a long, curly mess. Her eyes were hazel and her complexion, clear. And her curves made me feel absolutely inadequate.

"I mean, what size is she anyway? D-cup?" I elbowed him in the stomach as I called him a pervert. "Idiot." Kakuzu murmured. "You're a sad excuse for a human being. I swear, you can be a monster sometimes." Hidan smirked. "I'm sorry. I'm a monster? What was that, 'person with five hearts'?" Kakuzu rolled his eyes at the comment. "Xira, everyone here has a mentor who sponsored them for this competition. Where is yours?" He asked. I had to lie. My only option was to lie. I had no other choice.

"My master couldn't be here today. He had other things to attend to." Kakuzu glared at me. "You're lying…" I focused on the battle below. "Who is your teacher, anyway? He knows an awful lot about the Akatsuki. Especially if he knew where I was buried." Kakuzu stared at me. "Is he one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist? You have their teeth." I covered my mouth. I forgot that my darkling features were showing. Horns and all. I took a glance behind me. My tail was visible, too. It swayed gently from side to side in a nonchalant manner. As if it had a mind of its own…

I grabbed my tail and held it close. My eyes shifted from side to side as I began to develop a new lie. "No… Um. He's not, I swear!" Kakuzu sighed and said. "You are the worst liar ever. Kisame? He's the only one who I'd imagine taking you in. You two are amazingly alike. Talk too much…" I pinched the bridge of my nose and surrendered. "How did you know?" I asked. "Kakuzu's an old man. He doesn't miss a thing. He was the most analytical person in the Akatsuki. He could notice just from the information that you gave him." Amazing feat, I must say.

"You can't tell anyone okay. They'll hunt him down." I said. They both agreed. Ten respect points from me.

I leaned over the railing and watched the battle. Hidan joined me and Kakuzu remained on the wall. The busty woman was getting her ass handed to her now. Hilarious.

I nudged Hidan with my elbow. "Is that what you want? She's pretty, but can't even protect herself. Sad…" He shrugged. "She's got some nice friends though." I rammed a finger into his ribcage. "That's really sad! I don't understand what's up with you guys. You always go for the pretty, clingy, 'I-can't-even-protect-myself-in-a-fight' type." He checked out my own boobs. "You could learn some things from her. You need some help with the rack department." I laughed. True, true. "Whatever…"

"Personally, I don't think that there's anything wrong with them. I'm sure that someone out there likes it." I bolted around to find the owner of the familiar voice. The guy from the bar. He carried a smirk upon his face. "Still don't want to tell me your name?" I shook my head. "You've got to earn it! We've had this conversation already." His smirk never left his face. "Either way, I'll learn it soon enough. They'll have to say your name to announce your battle. I'll get it." I shook my head. "Do you honestly think I would use my real name for this stupid thing? That's what fake one's are for." The smile left his face. I had totally thwarted his plans. "Didn't plan that, did ya?" I snorted. He turned and began to walk away. "Oh? Leaving so soon, are we?" I asked. He never completely faced me but said, "We'll see each other again after this, right? After the competition?" I nodded. "Sure. I'll be sticking around for a while. Maybe we can go face the call of adventure one day…" He smirked and walked to the other side of the balcony.

Hidan stared at me with a stupid smirk on his face. "Someone's got a crush on you!" He said. His tone reminded me of an immature school girl. "Stop. Just, no… He probably is just toying with me. There's no way a guy as hot as him would have something as silly as a crush on me…" Hidan shrugged. "I don't know, Xira. Maybe you're his type. Underdeveloped teens with a chest as flat as a board might be his thing. Maybe he's a pedophile who has mistaken you for a child." I punched him in the shoulder, making a loud crack sound at the impact. "Say that again! I dare you!" I yawned loudly and watched as the next contenders took the arena. Turns out that the blonde chick won the battle.

"You do know who that is, right?" My friend asked. I told him that I didn't care, but he spoke anyway. "Sasuke Uchiha. That guy is _strong._ If you end up going against him, you should forfeit. He'll kick your ass." I pushed his face away with my bare palm, causing him to whimper at the impact. "Damn it! Why'd you tell me? I made a vow to earn his name. It's how we go about greetings where we come from." Lies. It's not. I just wanted to mess with the guy. But I didn't want to explain that to Hidan.

He spoke despite of my hand crushing his face. "Sorry. Should have said something." I did, asshole. "Are you going to tell him your name?" I shook my head. "Not yet." He let the subject drop and began to watch the next fight. A pink-haired girl and another girl with long, black hair. The second girl's eyes were extremely pale, as if she were a ghost. Or blind.

"Hey, Xira? There will be a festival after this. Do you want to go with me?" I nodded. "That would be nice. I don't have anything else to do."

We watched the remaining battles as we talked. Either commenting on the battles or giggling like idiots when one of us makes a joke. It was soon my turn to fight.

I walked down the stairs that led to the floor. "Next, Chinatsu Hamasaki versus Ino Yamanaka!" The announcer yelled our names from down below, calling all attention to us. Me and the girl I faced. She possessed long, blonde hair, fashioned into a pony-tail that ran down her back. She wore mostly purple attire. Pretty…

Ino sent a determined glare in my direction. "Not to be rude or anything, but you're going down." I smirked and laughed. "As if! Someone like you could never take me down! You probably spend more hours in the mirror rather than training!"

She hurled herself at me and lifted her right foot in order to land a blow on my side. I thought fast and brought my elbow down upon it, causing her to wince in pain and stumble away. I widened the gap between us and thought of ways to counter her next few attacks, but decided to wait longer to see all of her abilities.

She launched a barrage of attacks, all taijutsu. I blocked them all, using the blocks that Master taught me. I was almost upset that he wasn't here. An ache plagued my heart every time I scanned the crowd and didn't see him. I hoped that he was okay and uttered a silent prayer for his safety.

Ino finally halted her attacks and formed a few hand signs. What was she doing now?

A piercing ringing sounded through my ears. A sharp pain arose in my head and sent me falling to the ground. My hands flew up to my temples, as if they would actually stop whatever force from entering my brain. I fought against the unknown invader and came to a quick conclusion. This was similar to my mother's method of mind control. This chick was taking over my brain.

I felt my arms fall limp at my side and my head loll to the side. My body was no longer my own. My head moved against its own accord. It tilted up, directing my gaze at the girl's own body, which lied as limply as my own against the wall. I heard Ino chuckle in my brain. _"I told you. It's over. It's no use trying to struggle."_ I ignored her snarky remarks and fought harder. _"What_ _are you going to do now?" _I asked. "_Make you forfeit, of course." _ She answered. Oh, hell no…

I concentrated and reached into the far depths of my mind. Ino had a firm grip on my consciousness but I couldn't afford to lose this match. My pride wouldn't let me.

"Listen up, bitchface! I'm not letting you have this match so easily! I don't know what kind of technique you're using, but I'm not having it!"

What do humans fear? If I summoned up a horrific image in my brain, would her hold falter?

I decided to test my theory and searched my memory for terrifying things. Things that would scare any normal human. Spiders? Ghosts? Snakes? Monsters?

That's when my mind settled on a certain image. The Kraken… That thing was ugly enough to give me nightmares for a week. Its millions of tiny teeth inside of its large beak. The tiny, black, beady eyes. The disgusting, pink, fleshy tentacles, charred and torn from years of violence. I fought it once during one of my sea voyages back home. I nearly died that day…

Ino gasped and her grip on my mind faltered. I took the opportunity and tried to force her out.

"_Idiot! Scared of a simple squid, I see?" _I laughed. I heard the frustration in her voice. _"That was a cheap shot!" _She yelled. _"There are no rules in the shinobi world…" _I chuckled. She returned to her own body and I regained control. I stretched my arms high above my head as I stood and assumed a battle position.

She was still struggling to her feet. Probably weak from that last trick. She must've used up a lot of chakra. I decided to take this chance.

I lunged for her before she even had time to look up. My fist connected with her cheek and sent her flying across the room. Her back contacted with the wall with a thud and she soon fell to the ground. She sat in that very spot, limp and nearly lifeless. Her only move was when she brought both of her hands up to her face, a single tear travelling down her cheek.

"I can't believe that this is happening, again. I've embarrassed myself, _again._ Right in front of _him. _He'll never love me…"

I ignored her self-pity party and returned to my spot on the balcony next to Hidan. "That… Was quick…" He said. I nodded. I didn't tell him that I was almost a goner down there, though.

* * *

><p>It was now eight at night and the village was buzzing with activity. This festival was apparently very popular among the locals. Its name slipped my mind somehow. All I knew was that I was damn uncomfortable… Hidan just had to insist that I wear this awfully familiar blue kimono that was decorated with silver and black patterns of vines. He wore a plain black yukata and Kakuzu still wore his mask under a dark green yukata.<p>

The tournament was broken up into two parts. The preliminaries and the finals. I, just now finishing the preliminaries, am to train for the next two months until the finals. This competition, apparently, was a big deal. I had stumbled into an international affair. From this point on, I was to train with Kakuzu and Hidan. But for now, I was being dragged through a painfully crowded street. Children laughed, adults conversed with one another. I saw several familiar faces from the matches earlier today. It was unusual. How they were so ready to pounce at the matches and that now they were calm and at ease.

The sky was a lovely sight though. A blanket of pure nothingness, spotted with thousands of tiny, white specks. So many stars. I could pick out several constellations which baffled me. I was in a totally different star system, yet there were the same twelve constellations. Those of the zodiac. I could see my own Libra, Hidan's Aires, Kakuzu's Leo and all of the others. It was peculiar. I was thinking about investigating it in my spare time until my thoughts were interrupted.

"Are you guys hungry? I can go find us something to eat." Hidan offered. I shrugged my shoulders. "That's fine with me. I'll eat anything." Kakuzu simply shrugged.

Hidan left us to wait by the corner of a nearby building as he fetched our snacks. I was expecting silence from the older ninja, but he started the conversation this time.

"Where are you staying for the night?" He asked. I shook my head. I never thought about that until he asked. I had no idea where to stay and was still separated from my teacher. "I don't have any idea…" I saw him smirk under his mask. "Kisame has something for you in the forest, in the clearing by the waterfall. I don't know where he is, but he told me to tell you about it." I nodded my thanks for the information. "When did he tell you?" I asked. "Before the competition." I scoffed. Analytical, my ass.

"So, you and Hidan are good friends, huh?" I asked. I was curious about how the two met. "You can say that. We were partners in the Akatsuki. We used to fight all the time. Usually over stupid things." "Then why were you two paired up?" I asked. He snorted. "Because he was indestructible. I had a tendency to kill my partners, so I was paired up with him." I cackled at the thought.

Hidan came back with the snacks. Dango. They looked delicious.

He handed us both a stick and began eating his own. In the midst of all of the festival-going people, I noticed a familiar face. The Ino girl that I fought earlier. Beside her was the Nara boy and a large, round guy with swirly tattoos on his cheeks and long, brown hair. They seemed to be having a conversation with three other people. A man with pale eyes and long, brown hair, a brunette with hair fashioned into two buns, and a tall, lanky boy with black hair fashioned into a bowl cut.

The man with the long hair had an uptight air about him. That of some kind of noble. He stood silent as the others around him conversed. A person like him tended to tick me off.

"What else do you guys have planned for the evening?" I asked. Hidan shook his head. "Nothing in particular…" He answered. A grin crossed my face. "Is it all right that I cause some chaos for a second?" I asked. He returned my grin. "What do you have planned?" I thrust my thumb in the direction of the long-haired brunette. His back was turned to us. He nodded as I snuck in that direction, grinning like an idiot. I was bored and that totally justified what I was planning on doing.

I crept up behind the man. He and his friends were totally oblivious to my plan. They didn't even notice me.

My target was drinking some water from a plastic bottle. Yeah, this would be hilarious. To me, that is. Was it healthy for me to be this bothersome? For me to always cause random mischief such as this? I guess that it was just the nature of the darkling. I am, of course, the daughter of a demon. It's only natural for me to be like this.

I was now directly behind the guy. I was still unnoticed. Ninja, my foot…

I braced my fists and quickly delivered a blow to the back of his knees, causing him to fall. He choked on his water, cursing uncontrollably. His composure was easy to break.

I swiftly rose to my feet and scrambled in the other direction. I laughed maniacally and ran as fast as I could, ignoring the man's yells in my direction. I sped past a chortling Hidan and Kakuzu who was covering his eyes in a mighty facepalm. Hidan gave me a thumbs up as I hurried along. It appeared that my target was now chasing after me.

I weaved in and out of the crowd, holding my kimono up so that I wouldn't trip over it. It felt good being a trickster.

He was furious now, the man. Now growing closer, he attempted to grab the sash of my kimono and nearly succeeded. I boosted my speed and was now heading for the outskirts of town. Why was I still acting so immature? If my master was here, would he approve of this kind of behavior? Would he even care?

The man finally caught up and tackled me, sending us both to the ground. He was now hovering above me, face red with anger and panting from fatigue. I stuck my tongue out at him. His anger never faltered. I took this chance to study his features. Pale eyes, long, silky, brown hair, and a handsome, stoic demeanor.

"Why _exactly_ did you do that! What was the purpose of doing that?" He yelled, now grabbing me by the collar and pulling me up along with him and he stood. I smirked. "Mighty impolite of you, treating a lady like this." He snorted. "Lady? I couldn't tell. Your breasts are microscopic." I brought my hands up and slapped both of his ears, causing him to drop me. His hands flew up to his ears. That was the fourth time someone made a comment about my breasts today…

The man regained his composure and grabbed the sash of my kimono, untying it. My kimono came undone and opened, revealing my whole body. I wore only a pair of underwear under the dress since I thought that a bra wouldn't be important due to my inadequate size.

I stood with my back to the guy as I tried to fix my clothing. I silently panicked and hoped that he didn't see my body. I heard him chuckle behind me. "Pathetic. I don't even feel like punishing you anymore. That was punishment enough…" I finished tying my sash and turned to face him, giving him my two favorite fingers. "Fuck off. It was a harmless prank!" I rushed back to the town.

The man quickened his pace to catch up with me. "What do you want?" I asked. My feet never stopped walking. "You'll be at the next round of the tournament, right? Two months from now?" I nodded. "Why would you want to know?" "I am Neji Hyuuga. And you're Chinatsu Hamasaki?" I slowly nodded my head at the sound of the unfamiliar name. "I look forward to seeing you at the finals then." I stopped and stared into his face. He was smirking at me. Sort of creeping me out.

"Sure." I answered as he walked in the other direction. He was heading for his friends.

I hunted down Hidan and Kakuzu. They were preparing to go to some night club. I decided that I had finally had enough for the night and bade them farewell (Hidan looked slightly drunk so I decided that I did not want any of that action). We made plans to meet up tomorrow afternoon to train.

I aimlessly roamed the streets. Ten o'clock now. All of the children and older adults were gone now. There were mostly young adults in the streets. Drunkards, party-goers, an occasional prostitute. Even a village like this had its dark side.

I fixed up my kimono a bit so that no one would get the wrong idea. I then crossed my arms and continued to walk the streets. I wasn't tired nor was I ready to go retire for the night. I needed more excitement.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned my head to see the source. Sasuke.

"Funny that I'd meet you here. I thought Neji had killed you already." I laughed. "Dude doesn't know how to take a joke. I was just messing with him." I shrugged. He needed to relax. "You have a lot of guts messing with him. He's strong." I rolled my eyes. "I fear no one." I stated. He smirked and began to walk ahead. "Wanna walk with me?" I followed him.

Sasuke wore a navy blue yukata. It made him seem like a ghost despite the warm glow of the lanterns around us.

"If I guessed your name, would you tell me if it was right or not?" He asked. I shrugged. "I dunno. It depends on if I want you to know or not. Will you remember it?" He let his gaze fall over the booths to his right. "I don't think I could forget a person like you. I've only spent a little time with you and so far you've been imprinted into my brain." I smiled. "I'm flattered."

He began to guess. "Reiko?" I shook my head. This was going to take a while. He would never know my name. It's not a common one and is foreign to his land. "Suzume?" I chuckled. "You're never going to get it. You should just give up." He shook his head. "I'm not stopping until I get it. Is it Yoko?" I shook my head and laughed once again. He stopped walking, making me halt also. "Is it Xira?" My smile faded. "How?" He smiled at my confusion. "You weren't supposed to get it." He began to play with the end of my right bang. He twirled the dark hair between his fingers, as if he were absent-minded at the moment. "You shouldn't entrust your name to a person who tends to get drunk easily…" Dammit Hidan… "And I'll assume that you already know my name…" I rolled my eyes and leaned on my right, throwing my hand on my hip. "Well, how could I not know your name? Everyone seems to know everything about you. You seem to be the talk of the town." I've heard his name several times from the conversations of the village's women. "Everyone wants a piece of this action." I poked his chest, making him smile.

We began to walk once again with no particular destination in mind. "You're very self-conscious about yourself. Why is that?" He asked. I played dumb. "What do you mean by that?" "You are always complaining about your breasts. You say that they are small. Why do you focus on the bad things?" I hesitated. I felt his gaze fall onto my chest. "I don't know. I guess that I'm just bitter. I'm fifteen now and I will probably stop growing before they get any larger. And… All of my class mates wear a B or higher." I stopped walking and laughed loudly to myself. "Listen to me. I sound like a little girl talking about this. Oh, god. I'm pathetic!" I forcefully punched Sasuke on the shoulder and said, "It's getting late. I should be getting home now." I turned on my heels and briskly walked in the other direction. "I hope we see each other sometime soon! We might go on an adventure together!" I yelled.

* * *

><p>Apartment 435… My new home…<p>

Kisame mysteriously disappeared. He just left me a bag with several necessities in it. A _lot _of money (I don't know where or how), the key to this apartment, my swords, paperwork that tells me that I am now a registered ninja in this village and all the rules that I need to follow (I remembered most of the basics that he told me, though), and a neat, handwritten note.

_ Xira, I'm sorry I had to take off so soon. But you must remember that I am a wanted criminal. I can't settle down yet. I have some loose ends to tie up first. After I do that, I'll return and train you like we agreed. (And remember that you agreed to me training you. You should've been prepared for something like this.) Just train with Kakuzu and Hidan until then. _

_ Kisame…_

I practically shredded the note out of frustration. Ignoring the sudden ache in my heart. I was sorta missing my teacher…

I unlocked the door to the apartment. The furniture was already present. Nothing too spectacular. It was homely. I checked out my room. A single bed with white sheets. A closet, a huge window that held an even bigger view of the village. I opened the closet and was slightly surprised by what I saw. There were already clothes. Just a bunch of jeans and t-shirts. I checked the dressers. Underwear… The right size too…I debated on whether I should be happy that I don't have to shop or creeped out that my teacher knows what size bra I wear…

I brushed the thought aside and flopped down onto my bed, still in my blue kimono. I buried my face into a white, fluffy pillow. A smile crept across my face. Sasuke Uchiha, huh? The memories from a few hours before returned to my mind. I had totally made a fool of myself. Babbling on about my girl problems. My self-loathing issues. I've probably bored him. He probably just lost interest in me altogether.

I mustered up the rest of my energy and took a quick shower. Afterwards, I changed into some new black and white striped underwear and a black t-shirt. I slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>My dream that night made me wake up in a cold sweat. I was alone, in a field of flowers. Daisies to be exact. Daisies as far as the eye could see. The immense field stretched in all directions. The green field dotted by white met the baby blue of the sky on the horizon. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. How boring…<p>

I stood in the midst of the flowers, confused and slightly angered. Confused as to why I was there and angry because I was lost. I looked up at the sky to assess the sun's position. It stared happily down upon me in the center of the sky. It was noon and I couldn't tell which way was east and which was west.

I saw a tiny bird hurling straight for me. I attempted to catch the poor thing, but it fell right through my hands and onto the ground. I fell to my knees and cradled the bird in my hands. Both wings were broken and twisted out of place. The bird barely made a sound but twitched every now and then to affirm that it was still alive. It was in so much pain…

Two thoughts ran through my mind as I stared at the bird in my hand, grief-stricken and angry. The first told me that I should end its misery. There was no place in this world for a flightless bird such as this. No chance of surviving. No chance at life. It would meet a painful end. Probably eaten by a much larger predator or die of starvation. It would be merciful for me to end it all here.

The second came to me less than a second later. Birds can be such resilient beings. I've seen the vets on my planet cure even the most doomed of souls. Wings could heal over time. This bird could take flight one day.

At that moment, the bird spread its wings, as if affirming my last thought. It flapped them a few times and then took flight. I felt as if I had learned something from the experience. Birds are resilient. You break a wing, you fix it. You keep going, no matter what. You fall down, you get back up.

What was this supposed to mean? Was this mental preparation? Was something bad going to happen?

* * *

><p>I awoke to the sound of a loud, fervent ruffling noise. I sprang up from my bed to see where the source was. Outside, on the balcony belonging to my apartment, was a small bird who was entangled in a single thread of string. It attempted to fly over and over again, but crashed every time.<p>

I caught it and carefully unraveled the string, cooing to the bird as I did so. "You scared the shit out of me, little fella…" The bird gracefully took to the sky and flew until it was out of sight.

* * *

><p>"M-my name i-is Hinata. Hinata H-hyuga…" The shy girl stood in front of me. Slightly bowed and cheeks rosy with blush. I was simply shopping for groceries. I wasn't expecting this.<p>

"Oh. Hi. I'm Xira. Xira Merid. Nice to meet you." I held out a hand as she righted herself. She took it and shook it. Her hands were baby soft.

I peeked behind her and saw two other girls peeking around the corner of the next isle. The girl with the buns and another with pink hair.

"Does this have anything to do with those two over there?" I asked. Ignoring their presence. She nodded. "T-they think that it would be a good idea for me to b-befriend you for some reason. They think that b-being around you would h-help me somehow…" I smirked. Since when was I so popular?

I glanced at the shopping basket in her hands and then glanced at my own. In hers were a bunch of random vegetables and beverages. In mine, instant ramen and two bags of chips. I snorted. "W-what's wrong?" she asked. I began to chuckle. "I really need to improve my eating habits." She took a look at my basket and giggled to herself.

I took this time to observe Hinata's features. Pale and smooth complexion with a hint of pink for her cheeks. Her black hair, tinged with a hint of indigo, fell down to the small of her back. Her bangs stopped right above her eyes and framed her face perfectly. She was pretty and had all the right curves in all the right places. She suddenly made me feel tiny.

I noticed her eyes. The pale, whiteness and nothing more. At first, I would have thought that she was blind if I didn't know any better.

"Hinata…" A deep, yet familiar voice sounded from behind. I turned and saw my victim from the festival from a few nights ago. The same long haired, tight-assed guy from before. He had the same eyes as Hinata, making me assume that they were related. I scowled at him as he approached us, passing me and addressing Hinata as if I weren't there.

"Oh! Hello, Neji. It's n-nice to see you." She smiled warmly at him. Ever so slightly, the corners of his mouth turned upwards. "I've been looking for you. Where have you been?" She brought her two index fingers together in a very nervous manner as she fought to avoid his gaze. "Well, I needed to do some shopping. I-I tried to find you, to ask if you w-would like to come or not, but you were nowhere in sight." He frowned. "This could be avoided if you just came back home. Why are you trying to live on your own?" She grimaced. She fumbled around before she could find the right words. "I-I'm not wanted at home. W-why should I stick around in a place that I will never fit in… It hurts to be always uncomfortable in your own home…"

I turned and began to walk away. Giving them some time to sort things out. This was a family affair. None of my business.

I finally paid for my food and left the store with a large shopping bag. All there was left to do was to make it back home.

I hurriedly walked home using the main street that ran throughout the village. It was normally busy at this hour. One could also see many familiar faces on this road.

The large grocery bag made it difficult to see where I was going. I accidentally bumped into someone in front of me. I scowled yet muttered an apology. "Sorry. I should've been watching where I was going." I said. I looked up at the person I faced. Tall, very tall, with wild fiery hair. He was muscular and lean and had a very stoic demeanor about him. He blankly stared at me as I righted myself.

"See! Like her!" I heard a voice say. A boy was standing next to the fiery haired one. He was shorter and had white hair. His teeth were abnormally pointy, like mine and Kisame's. He stared at me as he sipped a beverage from a bottle.

"What the hell?" I muttered. The white haired boy turned to the taller one. "Isn't she cute? Surely you think that she is cute…" The tall boy blushed slightly as I stared incredulously at him. "Maybe you should ask her out!" The boy suggested as if I weren't standing right before him.

"What the hell!" I shouted. The boy smirked at me as the other's face went entirely red. The white haired one suddenly kicked his friend forcefully, as if he was giving him some silent signal. I just continued to stare at them.

The tall one spoke up, face still red. He held his hand out for me to shake.

"I'm sorry for my friend's behavior. He's not always like this." I hesitantly took his hand and shook it. "I'm Jugo." He smiled a contagious grin. I smiled along with him. "Xira. Xira Merid." His friend chuckled at the gesture. "Awww. See? You two make a good couple." I glared at the boy. "Can I punch him? Can I please punch him?" I asked Jugo. His smile never faded. He looked at me with an awe struck expression on his face. "Not just yet. We have training to go do. We have to compete in a competition a few months from now." I laughed. "You, too? You guys were in the tournament?" He nodded. "You did really well in your match. That was an interesting thing you did there. Beating Ino…" I grinned and shifted my weight to one side. I placed a hand on my hip and held my groceries in the other. "I know! I'm tough as nails. No one could ever hope to beat me!" I laughed a cocky laugh.

He was opening his mouth to say something else, but his friend stopped him.

"Before this goes any further, I have to stop this here. We do, in fact, have training to do."

We said our goodbyes and vowed to meet again at the final rounds. I was looking forward to that. Jugo, I must admit, was pretty cute and sweet.


End file.
